


Joining Young Justice

by 425anonymous



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: A Galaxy Far Far Away, Crossover, Facing the past, Force Echoes, Gotham University, Jedi, Joining Young Justice, Lightsaber, Magic, Master Yoda - Freeform, Mount Justice, Nightwing - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, Post-Order 66 (Star Wars), Secret Past, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars x DC, Telling the truth, The Force, The Team - Freeform, Time Travel, YoungJusticexStarWars, justice league - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28748058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/425anonymous/pseuds/425anonymous
Summary: Chelsey Engelmann learns that keeping secrets from Batman isn't a good idea, especially when the fate of the world is at risk. She has to choose between protecting her past--which started in a galaxy far, far away--and saving others--by turning on the person that rescued her from certain death--as she gets sucked into the world of the Justice League and their covert team of protegees.**I don't own any of the DC or Star Wars characters mentioned!**
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter One: Lies and Secrets

When I saw Bruce Wayne outside Waverly Hall, I did a complete one-eighty and started back toward the Student Union Building. Unfortunately my escape attempt was in vein because Bruce had seen me and caught up before I could disappear.

"Chelsey," he called, stopping me in my tracks.

Straight face, show no fear, I told myself before turning around to face him.

"I can't do this right now," I said evenly. "I have an economics class to get to. We are about to review the study guide for the final."

"It can't wait. It's about your father."

Of course it was. Why else would Bruce track me down after two and a half years.

"The information I gave you wasn't enough?"

"Abra Kadabra is back at it."

"And how, exactly, does this connect back to my father?"

"Ned is the only one that can get his hands on that type of tech."

I shook my head. "That's impossible. You took the last of it two years ago. I always check when I'm home, Bruce, and he hasn't acquired any more."

It was Bruce's turn to shake his head. "The League and I compared the device that Abra Kadabra used in a heist three days ago to tech that he used three years ago. It's virtually the same, despite the fact that the Flash and Kid Flash confiscated everything in his possession and tracked down two separate stashes. The point is, we know your father is connected and I need your help."

"He can't be connected!" I sounded like a broken record, but I knew I was right. "I took part of his machine, something he couldn't replicate or replace."

To prove my point, I unclasped my necklace and pulled off one of the crystals. Bruce stuck out his hand and I passed him the stone.

"He bought it from Klarion and the machine doesn't work without its powers. Check with Doctor Fate or one of your other sorcerer friends."

"We still had a deal, Chelsey."

I cursed my naïve younger self and dug my nails into my palms. Working with the Justice League--especially Batman, the worlds greatest detective--put myself at so much risk. They could discover things I had tried so hard to forget, things that could put not just myself but the planet at risk.

Bruce sensed my internal conflict and gave me a better offer.

"If you help us stop Abra Kadabra and his supplier, who is presumably your father, I will pay for the rest of your time here at Gotham University."

I bit my lip, but accepting was inevitable. Paying for college on my own was difficult.

"Fine. But my classes take priority. This is my last class of the quarter and I have finals Monday and Tuesday. Let me focus on this and then I'm yours."

"Agreed. I will pick you up Tuesday evening at seven. Have fun in economics."

\----

Ned Engelmann wasn't my father.

I think we were the only ones on the planet that knew that secret. We were certainly the only ones on Earth that knew I was born in a galaxy far, far away.

Somehow we managed to keep that between us, even when the Dynamic Duo got involved in my life.

I had first met the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder the summer before freshman year of high school. It had been on the rooftop of the Central City Exchange building. The fact that Gotham's vigilantes were moving in on the Flash's territory didn't seem to cross my mind. I was too busy saving my own skin.

Ned had cracked time travel technology using sorcery years ago and stockpiled an arsenal of dangerous weapons and pieces of technology. People like Abra Kadabra paid big bucks to get their hands on pieces that the Justice League had never seen before. At first I didn't understand how widespread his operation was, but I began to see the impact. Supervillains were getting away with bigger and bigger scores, more and more innocent people were getting put in harms way, and the crime rate seemed to spike world wide. Not all of that could be traced back to Ned's operation, but deep down, I knew part of it was connected.

The decision to put an end to Ned's operations didn't take much thought. I knew it had to be done so I did it. I tracked his movement, found his favorite buy locations, made note of the people that came by our house. That was when I started calling the police. And that was when I frequently ran into the Batman.

I slowed Ned's business for four years and it took a toll. My whole life revolved around sneaking out at night and watching clandestine meetings in sketchy warehouses.

I wanted more. I wanted to escape.

College was the answer, but it also posed its own problem. How would I balance higher education and Ned? The answer was simple: I wouldn't.

At the end of my senior year, I struck a deal with Batman. We met on top of the Central City Exchange and I told him everything about my father's business. His sources, his buyers, his safe houses, his buy locations. Everything. In exchange for two things.

"I want to know I can trust you and I want you to take down my father's operation," I told Batman. I already felt vulnerable, having pulled away my hood to reveal my face and given him intimate details including my name and my home address.

"I will do as you ask in exchange for my own request." I nodded. "If there ever seems a time when I can't stop your father, you will help me."

I wanted to be done with the whole thing so bad that I nodded and stuck out my hand, not considering the fact that it might circle back to me one day. Batman was supposed to take care of this sort of thing. Never in a million years would he need my help.

"Deal."

That was when he removed his cowl.

Bruce Wayne was Batman. And he trusted me. And I trusted him.

That was the start to our twisted relationship.

\----

I wasn't quite sure what Bruce meant by "pick you up," so I grabbed my backpack, suitcase, and gym bag and stood out front of the dorm hall, ready for anything. A few other students were heading home for the break but most of them were hunkered down in the dorms, pouring over notes and lecture slides for their remaining finals.

A black town car pulled up and the back window rolled down.

"Glad to see you held up your end of the bargain," Bruce noted.

"I didn't have much choice," I replied, grabbing my luggage and starting toward the car. The driver got out and started to take things from my hands despite my protests.

"Please, Miss Engelmann, allow me," he said, opening the door to the back seat and motioning for me to get inside.

Seeing as how I didn't have much of a choice in that matter either, I sat down opposite Bruce, who smiled at me. It was slightly unsettling.

"Where to?" I asked. "Because I only have a few days. I told my Dad that I was going home with my friend Beverly but I would be home in time for Christmas."

"I can work with that," Bruce decided as the driver got back in the car. We headed deeper into campus. "One more quick stop."

The car slowed outside another dorm building where a boy was waiting, duffel bag slung over one shoulder. As the driver opened his door, the boy called out to him.

"Alfred!"

"Nice to see you, Master Dick," he replied, stowing the boy's bags in the truck and opening the door.

I scooted over and the guy dropped down beside me. He gave me a quizzical look before glancing at Bruce.

"Chelsey, this is my ward, Dick Grayson. Dick, this is Chelsey Engelmann. She's a friend."

Dick stuck out his hand and I shook it, not trying to hid the fact that I was giving him the once over. Dark hair, sharp features, a knowledgeable smirk, and an impressive build.

"A friend or a friend?" Dick asked before giving me the once over. I wonder what he was noticing and hoping that friend didn't reference anything scandalous. With Bruce Wayne it was hard to tell.

I gave Bruce a look too and connected the dots.

"Do you guys spend your nights doing the same thing?" I asked.

"Dick is Nightwing and Chelsey is Abra Kadabra's supplier's daughter," Bruce said after a moment.

A cry of protest died in Dick's throat as Batman outed his secret identity. I didn't appreciate the ease at which he revealed my name either, but at least we were all on the same page.

"Speaking of Abra Kadabra and Ned, what, exactly, did you want me to do?" I asked.

"I have some colleagues I would like you to meet. We need information and an inside man. Or woman in this case," Bruce said quickly.

"Let's just get this over with," I decided.


	2. Chapter Two: The Cave

Having spent the night in Wayne Manor, I felt strangely at ease with Bruce and Dick or Batman or Nightwing. We were gathered around the breakfast table in one of the many rooms in the mansion when Bruce got a call from the Wayne Tech office.

"There has been an incident that I need to go take care of. Dick, would you show Chelsey downstairs and brief her on the Team?"

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but I waited patiently for my answers while Dick finished a plate of pancakes. Alfred was clearing dishes and offering tea and coffee, but I declined.

"What year are you at GU?" Dick finally asked, grabbing a piece of bacon before Alfred cleared it away from the table.

"I'm in my second year. I'm studying business with an emphasis in economics," I explained. "How about you?"

"I am in my first year. I'm thinking about double majoring. Computer science and criminal justice."

"Sounds like Bruce educated you in both of those things already," I pointed out. "I watch the news."

Dick nodded and stood up. I followed suit and trailed after him, out of the room and down the hall to the library. The room was beautiful filled with floor to ceiling shelves of leather-wrapped books. Dick walked across the room to the grandfather clock that stood beside a stone fireplace.

"Welcome to the Batcave," he said as the clock slid to the side, revealing an ominous opening in the wall.

"Very cliché," I noted, motioning for Dick to go first. 

"You are not the first person to say that. I haven't shown you what's hidden behind the bookshelves yet," he joked, ducking through the opening.

Dick led the way down a very narrow and poorly lit metal staircase that curved through solid stone. We emerged in a massive open space that made up several uneven levels. So this was the Batcave, I though, glancing around. We stood beside a bank of computer monitors. Just beyond and down a flight of stairs was a row of cases with suits and weapon displays. A little further down was a makeshift medical bay. The center of the room was dominated by the Batmobile and several bikes and a training space.

"It's not much," Dick said. "You should see the Cave."

I gave him a strange look. We were standing in a cave.

"Oh, sorry. The cave in Mount Justice at Happy Harbor," Dick corrected. He watched as I wandered the Batcave, taking in the technology and weapons on display. "The Team operates out of there while the Justice League uses a more covert base."

"The Team?" Bruce had mentioned them earlier.

"Right. We are a covert group of protegees that operates under the radar. Kid Flash, Aqualad, and I started it four years ago. We rescued Superboy from Project Cadmus and were quickly joined by Miss Martian. Things have changed over the years and we do our best to adapt."

"What happened to Kid Flash? I don't see him much in the news anymore."

"Wally took a break along with his girlfriend Artemis. They're focusing on college and life away from the League."

I took in his words and descended the steps to look at the suits. Up close and hung on generic mannequins, they didn't look like much. I counted five. Batman's, Nightwing's, two Robin suits with varying design differences, and a women's suit. Batgirl.

Dick followed me down the stairs and leaned against the metal railing that ringed the platform. 

"How did you become the first Robin?" I asked, resting my arms against the railing and surveying the Batcave, wondering what was lurking in the dark corners.

"My parents were killed when I was nine. They were acrobats. Someone sabotaged their act. Batman--Bruce--knew that if he didn't help me, I could become exactly like him. He took me under his wing and showed me how to get justice. We became the Dynamic Duo. A little while after we started the Team, Bruce took another boy in. His name was Jason. He was murdered by the Joker and we couldn't save him. Bruce hasn't been the same since then. He's been more reckless and driven in stopping crime in Gotham. He started training the current Robin and my best friend and there's nothing he won't do to protect us."

I wasn't completely sure, but the last part almost sounded like a threat. When Dick stopped talking, silence settled over the cave as I formulated a response. I needed to build his trust. Maybe not to the extent that Bruce and I shared, but anything would be a start and would make this process smoother.

"You're lucky. My father doesn't share Bruce's moral compass and that put me in a tight spot. I would have given anything to have a mentor like him." I was lying, but Dick didn't know. There was no harm in it, I told myself. Earn his trust.

"You did the right thing, trusting Batman. And the fact that he showed you his identity...there are very few people who know that information."

I nodded, understanding that bond that I shared with Bruce.

"I needed to know that he could do what needed to be done when I left Central City. I tried, but the reality was that I couldn't stop Ned alone. I had been trying and failing for too long but was just too stubborn to see it."

"How does Ned get his hands on weapons from the future?" Dick asked. Clearly he hadn't been briefed by Batman.

"With the help of a Lord of Chaos. Klarion sold him a gemstone and information which Ned used to create a machine. It took some trial and error," I said. That was how we had met. "But when he got things working, he took to the future, stole tech, and stockpiled it. Before leaving for college, I stole the gemstone. I gave it to Bruce when he came to see me on Friday."

"Did Ned ever steal plans or blueprints? Because that could explain how Abra has more tech without the time travel piece."

I shrugged. "It's possible. But I think we'd be jumping the gun assuming that Ned is responsible for everything. He's not the only one that has worked with Klarion." I paused. "What's that over there?" 

I pointed at two giant tubes at the edge of the cave that protruded into the room. They were tall enough to stand in and a series of wires connected to a computer.

"Those are zeta tubes. We use them for instantaneous transportation. The League has installed a network of them."

"Instantaneous transportation?" I repeated. Surprisingly it wasn't the most outlandish thing I'd seen in my day. 

"Certainly cuts down on commutes. Once Batman gets back he can get you in the system. Then we can go meet the Team."

"Great."

\----

We were in the library when the front door to the mansion opened. I caught a bit of conversation and sat up, peering out the door to get a better look. Bruce was accompanied by a kid no older than fifteen in a Gotham Academy uniform. The other Robin.

"Chelsey? Dick?" Bruce called.

"Library!" Dick called back, straightening up from his seat beside the fireplace.

I closed the book I had pulled off the shelf and set it on the round table beside the chair I had taken over. After my Batcave tour, Dick and I had run out of things to talk about and reconvened up here, waiting for Bruce's return, which had taken hours. Long enough for school to get out.

"Chelsey, I would like to introduce you to Tim Drake, the current Robin," Bruce said. "Tim, this is Chelsey Engelmann, the daughter of a dangerous tech supplier."

"I've heard of Ned Engelmann," Tim said, sticking his hand out for me to shake. "Nice to meet you."

"Did Dick bring you up to speed on the Team?" Bruce asked.

"For the most part. But I can learn on the go," I promised.

"We are going to test that. Come on. We're going to Mount Justice."

I followed Batman and his protegees down into the Batcave and sat in the chair at the computer while they suited up. Batman and Robin pulled on matching utility belts and Nightwing positioned to Escrima sticks on his back. Before crossing to the zeta tubes, Robin grabbed a bo staff that he twirled in his hand. It must have been a nervous habit.

Robin stepped into the zeta tube first, disappearing in a flash of white light while a mechanical female voice stated his credentials. Nightwing followed while Batman fiddled with the computer.

"Are you ready for this, Chelsey?"

"I just want it to be over."

"It will be soon," he promised. "Go on through."

I took a tentative step forward and was engulfed in a blinding white flash. A memory surfaced from my time on Coruscant when I was training alongside the clone troopers in a sterile facility lit by similar harsh lights. Long forgotten voices rung in my head as I tried to subdue the echo of the past. 

When I opened my eyes I was standing in a roughly circular room that served as a hub. Hallways branched out in all directions, carved out of living rock and reinforced with metal plating. 

Nightwing and Robin were standing a few feet away with a group of heroes I'd seen in the news from time to time. As Batman appeared behind me, I took a few steps forward and joined them. 

"Mission briefing," Batman said, joining the group. "There have been reports of super villains using futuristic technology over the past few months. Similar technology has been seen in the past, supplied by one Ned Engelmann. Ned Engelmann, with the help of Klarion the Witch Boy, has been known to use time travel to acquire this tech and bring it back to our time to sell it to the highest bidder."

As Batman talked, Nightwing pulled up visuals on a holo-computer. It was strangely similar to something Wayne Tech was getting ready to bring to market.

"This is Chelsey Engelmann, Ned Engelmann's daughter. In the past she has worked against her father's weapons business and provided the League with valuable intel to keep him in check. You need to investigate super villains including Abra Kadabra, Colonel Future, and Solaris who have recently been seen using advanced technology and have historically done business with Ned Engelmann. 

"At the same time, you will be going undercover and infiltrating Engelmann's house to look for intel related to future buyers, potential sale locations, and where technology might be stashed. This job will fall to Chelsey and Zatanna, who will pose as Chelsey's friend from Gotham University."

That wasn't much information to go on, but the team seemed satisfied. Well, most of them anyway. 

"How do we not know that Whisper a'Daire and Bruno Manheim are involved? They've used Boomtubes in the past to bring Apocalyptictan weapons to Earth," Superboy pointed out.

"It would be very unlikely given the fact that the technology recently used matches the technology provided by Ned Engelmann in years past," Batman explained. "I have been tracking his weapon deals and it appears to me that these weapons come from the same source."

"Seems? Where's the doubt coming from?" Zatanna asked.

"My father's time machine used a mystical gemstone that I took two years ago. Before I stopped tracking my father's movements, I either cleared out his stashes or told Batman where they were. The point is, he shouldn't have the means to acquire more future technology but somehow he might still be getting it," I explained. "We just need to learn how."

"Are you sure that he actually created a time machine and not a Boomtube?" Superboy demanded.

"I'll be honest why I say I only ever went on one trip with him, but he described what he saw in the future. Based on the events that have taken place in just the past few years, he went to the future," I said.

"He could have been traveling to other dimensions," Bumble Bee pointed out. 

"I gave you the stone, Batman. What did Fate say about it?" I demanded. I wasn't able to answer their questions and I was also withholding information that, if I wasn't careful, I might give away.

"He identified it as a stone used in ancient practices to glimpse the future. If Ned combined it with the right technology, he could have harnessed the power," Batman said.

"Again, I have to point out the other dimensions theory," Bumble Bee interjected. 

"Since we have no reason to believe that the machine did anything other than travel the future, we will treat it as a time machine until we have further knowledge," Batman said. His tone of voice signaled that it was time to drop the subject. "The League has been tracking Abra Kadabra, Colonel Future, and Solaris. You will split into three teams to keep an eye on them.

"Alpha is Miss Martian, Batgirl, and Lagoon Boy. You will be checking in on Abra Kadabra who is in Central City. Take the bio-ship. Bravo is Superboy, Robin, Wondergirl, and Beast Boy. You guys will take the Supercycle to Metropolis where the Colonel was most recently seen. And Delta, who will be following Solaris, will be Rocket, Zatanna, and Bumble Bee. Take bikes and zeta tubes to Boston."

Nightwing hadn't been assigned a team, I noted, but he seemed at home with the computer, pulling up maps and files for the teams to view. 

"We'll debrief in the morning. Remember, your primary mission is to gather information but do not let them acquire any further weapons technology," Batman said. "Chelsey, a word."

I followed Batman away from the group toward the zeta tubes. 

"I want you to stay here with Nightwing, who is running comms, and keep an eye on what happens. If your recognize anyone or any of the tech, I want to know."

"Yes sir," I replied. Addressing him formally seemed to be the right way to go.

"Good. We'll talk later."

Batman turned and stepped into the zeta tube. I whipped around to avoid the site of the white flash. I couldn't deal with another echo today. It had been so long since I'd felt one and I'd vowed to never let the Force interfere with my life again.


	3. Chapter Three: Out of Place

The teams disappeared after the mission briefing leaving Dick and I alone in the cave. He had pulled up a series of cameras and tabs detailing information about the three supervillains that were being monitored tonight. I stood slightly behind Nightwing, my arms crossed. There was nothing else to do. It didn't help that Alpha Squadron seemed to be communicating telepathically. Bravo and Gama weren't very entertaining.

"When did Ned start selling weapons?" Dick asked.

"I was young. Probably about ten or eleven," I replied. "I knew it was immoral, but I didn't get involved until I was thirteen."

"That's young."

"I seem to recall that you hit the streets in a costume when you were nine."

"But I had a mentor that I was following."

I had a mentor too, I wanted to say.

A transmission interrupted our conversation, saving me from having to respond.

"Robin to Cave. Bravo has eyes on the Colonel and things aren't looking too good."

Nightwing pulled up a video feed that was labeled "Robin Suit Cam" and we leaned in. Sure enough, the Colonel was standing in a warehouse amid stacks of boxes talking to another man.

My heart sank. I had been so adamant only to be proved wrong after twenty minutes. It hurt.

"That's Ned," I said. "There's your proof."

"Watch, do not engage," Nightwing ordered. "When Ned Engelmann leaves, let him go. Beast Boy, I want you to tag Colonel Future and whatever he takes with him. Don't get spotted. Maintain radio silence until you are clear. We are unsure what else Ned Engelmann is equipped with."

The camera feed cut out and Nightwing started typing.

"I'm hacking into the city CCTV system. Maybe I can get an angle from near by," he said hopefully.

"I can't believe he's back at it!" I exclaimed, still caught up on the fact that all my efforts still hadn't been enough to stop Ned. "I'm gonna walk it off if that's okay."

"Sure. Just don't accidentally leave the Cave," Dick replied. He's somewhat distracted by monitoring the teams, as he rightfully should be.

I left the hub and started down one of the hallways. My self guided tour led me past the kitchen and the library, through the training rooms and the medical bay, past bedrooms and a trophy room. I poked my head into a garage at one point and somehow found my way back to the main room. It seemed to have the most function. Zeta beam access, an open space for meeting and training, plus the computers.

"Bravo Squadron is coming back now," Nightwing reported. "Still radio silence from Alpha. Delta is in place but they haven't seen anything yet."

Ned couldn't be in two places at once, but there were always other sellers. 

"Do you guys believe in chairs?" I asked, glancing around for a place to sit down.

Dick gave me a look and continued to study the computer monitors. After a moment, I sat down on the floor beside him and crossed my legs. When nothing else happened, I leaned back, resting the back of my head on the cool floor and closing my eyes.

"Zatanna to Cave!" one of the radio channels crackles. "We have eyes on Whisper a'Daire and Ugly Manheim. They just opened a boomtube and--"

"Zatanna? Zatanna, come in! Delta Squadron!" Nightwing called.

Another memory surfaced, consuming my conscious. This one was from one of the desert planets on the outer rim. The Separatists had built a droid factory that my master and I had been sent to destroy with the help of two full battalions of troops. I watched from the command ship as droids and Separatists swarmed out of the factory and took up defensive positions, bringing heavy weaponry with them. Within minutes the bridge was overwhelmed with the shouts of commanders over the radio.

I pulled myself back into reality, my stomach overcome with nausea at the through of the Clone War as I jolted into a sitting position, my hands firmly planted on the floor as I took in one labored breath after another. So many precious lives wasted for what?

"Bee to Cave, we're clear here," Delta reported.

"Chelsey?" Dick asked, noticing the tension in my body.

"I'm fine," I said quickly, my hand creeping up to grab the crystal that hung from my neck. Contact with the rock sent a shock through my body and I let it go, shutting off my mind from the Force. "I guess I haven't eaten in a while."

"Copy, Delta Squadron. Clean up and get home."

The communication channels were silent as we waited. I had been taught patients long ago, but I felt the need to get up and pace, trying to expel some the pent up energy that I was feeling.

"Chelsey, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I just can't believe Ned is--" I tried, but couldn't finish the thought.

"You've called him Ned more than you've called him father," Nightwing noticed.

"He doesn't seem like a very good father figure at the moment. I guess it's a way of separating the good memories from the bad."

"So life with him wasn't all bad?"

"Not at all," I replied immediately. Ned had saved my life. "He cared for me, he raised me, he fed me, he protected me. Somewhere along the way, though, we got disconnected. He was never very open about the whole arms trading business, but I think he knew I had my suspicions. But I can't forget all the good things he has done for me."

Our conversation ended as Bravo Squadron arrived back in the Cave. They were riding the high of the mission as the joined us in the main room, asking about the other Squadrons. Nightwing was monitoring a map with two colored dots. I assumed one of them was Colonel Future and the other the weapons.

"Whisper a'Daire and Manheim appear to be supply Solaris with Apocalyptan tech. Delta Squadron has dealt with the situation," Dick reported. "Robin?" Tim broke away from Wonder Girl. "Can you take Chelsey home please?"

"What?" I cut in.

"You don't look well," he said, turning back to Tim. "Have Alfred make her something to eat and get back here for debrief."

Tim gave me a sad look and shrugged. He didn't have much choice in the matter and neither, apparently, did I. Reluctantly I turned away from the Team and followed Tim to the zeta tubes. He typed away at the computer before motioning for me to step in. I took a deep breath before I did, focusing my mind on the Batcave. I couldn't let it wander again.

\----

"How long have you worked for Bruce?" I asked Alfred. I was seated in the kitchen of Wayne Manor as he cooked something in the oven.

"I've known Master Bruce from the moment he was born," Alfred replied. "We've been through a lot together."

"I bet," I replied. "What are you thoughts on him being, you know, Batman."

"Master Bruce puts himself through a lot to protect this city. It's hard not to respect his actions even if I don't fully support everything he does."

"Do you know how long this whole thing is going to take? Because I just want to go home, shower in my own bathroom, sleep in my own bed, microwave my own meal."

"It shouldn't be long, Miss Engelmann."

"Great," I grumbled, sipping at my water. "I'll bring it up later."


	4. Chapter Four: Homecoming

I stayed at Wayne Manor for three days before we came up a plan for "infiltrating" my own household. It was down to Zatanna and I with the help of Miss Martian, who would be nearby in her bioship to facilitate psychic communication.

"Okay. I haven't told Dad much about Beverly, but we're both business students and we were both in Doctor Ryan Baits's Introduction to Marketing class last spring. You also took macroeconomics from Doctor Gabrielle Rivera last winter, the prof I just had. I'm in Pierce South Hall and you are in the McGovern Memorial Hall. You're from Coast City, you have two older brothers, and your parents are divorced," I explained. "That's the basics. I can feed you info through the mind link on the fly if I have to."

"Right," Zatanna replied, flipping her hair out of her coat collar as we prepared to step through the zeta tube. We each had a rolling suitcase and a backpack.

"Remember. Your primary mission is to locate the time machine," Batman reminded us. "Zatanna, you need to determine whether or not there are any mystical items in use. Chelsey, check old stashes that your father used before you left. Good luck and maintain radio silence unless it's a complete emergency. Miss Martian or the Martian Manhunter will be within psychic range the entire time you are in the house."

"Understood," Zatanna and I replied.

We walked through the zeta tube and exited a telephone booth in a disused alleyway near downtown Central City. We were just blocks away from the bus station where my father was scheduled to pick us up in twenty minutes. Tickets in hand, we started down the street until we were in position on the curb outside the bus terminal. Foot traffic was pretty heavy and we blended in as we waited.

"Psychic link established," Miss Martian communicated telepathically. It was a strange feeling, someone else talking in your head. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon, Chelsey."

Initially I'd been very against the psychic link. But Nightwing explained very thoroughly that the only information passed through the link was determined by me. If I presented a thought, the others could hear it. If I kept thoughts suppressed, they would never know.

"Oh, look, there he is!" I exclaimed, pointing to an approaching car. My arm shot up and I waved. I could see Ned in the front seat, a huge smile on his face as he pulled into the fire lane.

"Chelsey!" he exclaimed, climbing out of the front seat. We hadn't seen each other in a few months.

"Dad!"

I wrapped my arms around him and smiled. As I released, I introduced him to Zatanna.

"Bev, this is my dad, Ned. Dad, this is Beverly."

"Nice to meet you, Beverly. Thank you so much for allowing Chelsey to stay with your family for a few days."

"It's no problem. My family is actually headed this way for Christmas at my grandpas, so they didn't mind me coming over a few days earlier. Thank you so much for hosting," Zatanna added quickly.

"Not a problem at all. I wish Chelsey would bring people around more often. It's like she's ashamed of me or something!" he joked. I forced a laugh but quickly made myself busy stowing luggage in the car.

"Come on. I'm so excited to go home for a change."

Zatanna and I got into the back of the car and made small talk the entire way home. Pulling onto the street stirred a deep sense of nostalgia inside me which only intensified when we stopped in front of a pale yellow craftsman-style house.

Home.

I sensed the echo coming and tried to push it off, but lost my battle. A vivid recollection of my first day in Ned Engelmann's house came to me.

"This is your new house," Ned explained to me. "You'll be safe here."

"Thank you."

The memory subsided.

"What was that?" Miss Martian asked. Part of the memory must have been communicated via the mind link.

"Weird flashback," I replied, opening the back door of the car.

"Your room is all ready to go, Chels," Dad told me. "I even dusted. I also set up the guest room for Beverly. Hopefully flannel sheets are okay."

"Sounds great, Mr. Engelmann. Thank you."

Zatanna and I approached the house, following Ned, who was rambling about the landscaping which was buried beneath a layer of snow. I'd walked up the porch steps thousands of times but this time felt different. I had a mission and the day wasn't going to end well.

"Are you two hungry?" Dad asked.

"I could eat," I said. "Bev?"

"Dinner would be great, Mr. Engelmann!"

"Why don't you two get settled while I whip up some chili?"

I grabbed Zatanna's arm and pulled her up the stairs. As promised, my room was just as I'd left it. I pointed Zatanna down the hall to the guest room, where she dropped her bag and pulled off her coat. Through the thin wall I could hear her muttering incantations in a strange backwards language. After a few moments she popped her head into the room.

"There's definitely a magical item in this house and it is powerful," Zatanna told me.

"We can investigate tomorrow. Dad will leave for work around seven and we should have several uninterrupted hours to explore the house without tripping any alarms or tipping him off," I replied.

"I'll tell Batman and the Team," Miss Martian reported.

\----

As soon as the front door shut and the engine turned over in the driveway, Zatanna and I were up and scrambling. I grabbed the key to the mail box and ran outside, pulling out a brown package. Nightwing had made a special delivery last night under the cloak of darkness just in case. With all the future technology Dad had collected, there was a high possibility that there was something protecting the time machine, especially after I took the first gem two years ago.

"I have the package," I reported.

"Copy that," Nightwing replied. I guess he was tagging along with M'gaan today. "Beast Boy and Robin are keeping an eye on Ned for the day. We'll let you know if he's on his way back."

I ripped open the packaging and pulled out the scanner. Zatanna seemed familiar with the technology and took it from me. As she worked her way through the house, waving the chunky device around as she went, I followed along.

"I think we're clear," Zatanna said as we stopped at the door to the basement.

"We're going down."

"If Ned starts heading back, we'll intercept him and bring him in," Nightwing assured me.

"I wouldn't put it past him to carry something," I warned.

I glanced at Zatanna, who gave me a nod, and pulled open the basement steps. We both tensed, expecting something to jump out, but the steps descending into the basement were the same ones I'd grown up with. Nothing appeared to be different.

"Laever spart," Zatanna whispered.

Nothing happened.

Seemed safe enough.

I went first, hand hovering over the railing in case I needed to grab ahold. As I put my weight on each new step I was expecting something to go wrong, something to break or fall on me. The tension grew in the pit of my stomach as I reach the base of the steps and glanced around. There was a landing and a locked metal door.

"Nothing on the scanner," Zatanna reported before whispering a spell. "Kcolnu rood." There was a sharp metallic click as the bolt slid open. "Nepo."

The door creaked open, swinging inward, revealing darkness. We both glanced at the scanner, which remained silent. Tentatively I reached through the doorway and felt for the light switch on the wall.

In the center of the room was a contraption that reminded me of a merry-go-round. Built on a metal disk, there was a central podium with radiating hand grips. Screens and toggles were mounted on the side of the podium that supported a glimmering green gem.

I let out a string of cusswords that earned a worried glance from Zatanna.

He'd gotten another gemstone, another source to power the machine.

"We found the machine. Ned got his hands on another power source," I reported.

"Can you remove it?" Nightwing asked.

Zatanna stepped forward and walked in a circle around the time machine. She passed me the scanner and faced the contraption, both hands held out before her. After taking several deep breaths, she started to talk. I couldn't track what she was saying, but I could feel the tension--the power--in the room. Whatever she was trying, it was working. The gemstone wavered in its setting before finally breaking free. It twisted in the air spinning end over end as it shot toward Zatanna.

But it never made it.

A burning red circle erupted in the corner of the room depositing a lanky kid dressed in all black carrying an angry tabby cat.

Klarion.

"Not so fast," he said, casually waving his hand. The gemstone was pulled across the room to his hand with an even stronger force than Zatanna could muster. "Come now, Chelsey, what's daddy going to say? You're helping the wrong side!"

"What's going on?" Miss Martian demanded. She probably sensed our shock through the mind link.

"Klarion!" I replied as Zatanna started putting up protective shields and sending blasts at the Lord of Chaos that was casually leaning against one of Dad's work benches.

"You're one sick puppy, you know that, right?" I called.

"I've heard worse."

"What's the point of all this? Why support my father's operation?"

"To create chaos," Klarion replied, shooting a blast of red lightning bolt-like energy beams at us. They tore Zatanna's shield to tatters leaving us completely vulnerable.

"The cat! Target the cat!" Nightwing shouted psychically.

"So you chose some random shmuck?" I said.

"I'll draw him out, you get the cat," I told Zatanna.

"Your father, if you can call him that, is part of the Light," Klarion replied, striking more than one nerve. He knew too much. "It was only natural that we chose him to investigate time travel, among other things. He'll be disappointed in you."

"It's a two way street," I replied as Zatanna lashed out, shooting something at the cat.

Klarion deflected the magic with a flick of his wrist.

"Lucky for you two, I have things to do."

In another red flash, he was gone along with the cat, the gemstone, and the time machine. Within seconds, there were shouts over the mind link. As the Team had moved to capture Ned, Klarion had appeared and portaled the both of them away to safety.

"Debrief in the Cave in twenty," Nightwing ordered.

\----

Deflated, Zatanna and I shuffled into the Cave joining Nightwing, Miss Martian, and the rest of the Team. Everybody was looking pretty rough and things only got worse when the computer announced the arrival of Batman and Red Tornado.

"What happened?" Batman demanded.

"Klarion," I summed up. "He knew when we tried to take the gemstone that was in the machine, so he took the machine and Ned."

Everyone just nodded because that was what had happened. There was some sort of magical failsafe that had alerted him and now the machine was gone.

"What is the Light?" I asked. "Klarion said my father worked with them."

There was a collective intake of breath.

"The Light is a group of supervillain masterminds including Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage, Klarion, and Queen Bee. They work with a network of criminals and informants. They have been behind a majority of the missions the Team has been on over the course of the last five years," Nightwing explained.

Great. Klarion, Ned, the Light--they all had access to time travel, among other things that the machine was capable of. That was exactly what the world needed right now.

"I didn't get a good enough look at the magic stone in the machine, but I might be able to track it," Zatanna offered, but we all knew it was a longshot.

"What do they achieve through weapons trading?" I asked. "That seems to be the only thing my father's good at and the only thing he's done for the Light for the past several years."

"Weapons are a hot commodity. In the hands of the right people, they are worth more than money," Batman offered. "I need to get this information to the League. We may have taken a loss today, but we have stumbled on to something much bigger. Don't act until the League has given you instructions to do so. Chelsey, a word."

I followed Batman toward the zeta tubes, head hung low. I thought I'd been so diligent tracking Ned's weapons deals. Apparently I'd missed the biggest aspect.

"You need proper training," Batman told me. "The Light now knows of your involvement and your affiliation with the Team. You will be targeted."

"Fantastic," I replied.

"We will touch base later. In the mean time, stay safe and keep your head down."

"Yes, sir."


	5. Chapter Five: Confessions

Things were spiraling out of my control. The worst part was, Ned was now a wild card. Whatever he did next was going to be big--and I needed to get ahead of it. I needed to protect myself.

I stayed at the Cave for two nights before zeta beaming to Gotham and walking the long road to Wayne Manor. I needed time to think over exactly what I was going to say to Batman, who I'd managed to avoid since our last conversation. When I reached the door, I froze. 

I was about to reveal my entire life to Batman and admit that I'd been lying to him for years. If that wasn't the scariest conversation in the universe I didn't know what was. Batman had a kill-you-with-a-single-look kind of glare and I did not want to be on the receiving end. Unfortunately I couldn't control everything and there were some things that just needed to be said no matter how painful.

I breathed and leaned forward, sounding the bell. There was no going back. As I twisted and paced, the door opened.

"Chelsey?" Bruce asked, swinging the door open even further.

"Bruce, great. Can we talk? Thanks." I stepped into the mansion and as soon as the door was closed, my mouth was open again. "I have a confession. I have been lying to you since my senior year and--no, don't say anything. I need to get this off my chest because it's important and it's been weighing on me and when I'm done, can we take a moment of silence to think before we act? Great.

"I guess I've been repeatedly lying to you. Starting with the fact that Engelmann is my father. He's not. Second lie would be that I was born and raised in Central City. Truthfully it was far, far away. The third is the fact the machine only traveled through time. It doesn't. Oh, shoot, hold on. There's another one." I paused for a breath. "Oh. I don't need you to train me because I'm already trained. Just rusty."

I stopped for another breath, trying to talk myself down, to slow down, but Bruce interrupted.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen and I can make us a pot of tea," he suggested. I hated how calm his voice was. I couldn't imagine what he was actually thinking.

"Yes, please."

A few minutes later we were situated in the kitchen. There was a steaming pot of tea and two mugs on the table that Bruce sat at. I was too anxious to stay still and found myself pacing back and forth between the butlers pantry and the kitchen door.

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Bruce suggested evenly.

"Yeah. The beginning. So I was born in a galaxy far, far away. The planets there had formed a Republic a long time ago and as I was being raised, tensions were starting to rise. There were Separatist movements, Rebel uprisings, and all sorts of chaos. There was also an order--the Jedi Order--that served as peacekeepers of the galaxy. Jedi are special. They have access to something we call the Force that is...oh, how do I explain it? The Force is everywhere and we can manipulate it, access it, rely on it. The Jedi look for Force sensitive kids around the galaxy and they bring them to their temple where they become Padawan learners, then Jedi Knights, then Jedi Masters. They learn to sense and use the Force, how to fight and plan tactical battles, how to seek peace with minimal conflict. As they get older, they are assigned to a mentor who guides them through the process.

"I was taken to the Temple on Coruscant when I was very young where I trained alongside other younglings. When I was old enough I was assigned to Master Zalz a-Bara, who was a member of the Jedi Council, a very elite group of Jedi that works closely with military and galactic leaders. During this time, the galaxy had erupted into the biggest war there had ever been. The Clone Wars. The Republic used an army of clone troopers to fight the droid armies of the Separatists. The Jedi acted as military leaders for the clones and we thought we were winning when something happened.

"Master Zalz a-Bara and I had been on one of the outer rim planets of the galaxy where we were shutting down a droid factory. The battle was over and I was called back to the Temple to finish some training exercises since Master a-Bara was heading across the galaxy to provide backup aid for one of the other masters who was in a tight spot. I wasn't quite ready for that kind of action. I was in a small transport ship with a half dozen clones when the order went out. Clones started to turn on Jedi and within minutes, our Order was reduced to a small few.

"Our ship had been going through an asteroid field when they were told to kill me. The pilot and co-pilot could not leave their stations and they had two gunners blasting away stray asteroids. I saw the two remaining troopers coming at me and I--" my voice broke for the first time as I had to admit what I'd done to my brothers in arms. "--killed them when they drew their blasters. Once we cleared the asteroid field, the others came after me, but I was prepared. I killed the rest of the crew and ran to a neutral outer rim planet, destroying the ship I'd arrived in.

"I was seriously conflicted. I knew I should try to reach out to the Temple to understand what was happening, but I was also completely alone and there was no way I could handle anything more than fifteen soldiers in a perfect scenario. The other problem was that I was in the outer rim and getting word out was difficult. I meditated for days but all I felt was the pain of death, of the death of those who had trained me and protected me. Eventually I tried to get in contact with Master a-Bara , thinking that maybe he'd survived and remained in the outer rim as well, but none of my transmissions went through.

"I was there for a few rotations when I met Engelmann. I was a starving kid who was panicking and when he offered to take me away, I couldn't say yes fast enough. He took me to his machine and transported me across the universe to the safety of your galaxy where I quickly closed myself off from the Force and tried to move on. I was so grateful for what he had done that I was ignorant of his wrongdoings for the longest time. But my training kicked in and I started following him, and then I met you, and, well, here we are," I finished, brushing away a stray tear that traced its way down my cheek. "I never meant to lie to you, but to the best of my knowledge, he has never used the machine to travel spatially other than the time he found me. That was when he first started testing the machine and it was touchy."

Bruce was silent for a long time. So long, in fact, that I started to wish he would say something. Finally, he did.

"Why didn't the Green Lanterns get involved?"

"As far as I can tell, it was because of the Jedi. They were our peacekeepers so we didn't need anyone else."

Bruce nodded.

"What can I do to help you?" he asked.

I'll admit I was taken aback by his response. He didn't even shoot me a withering stare.

"Go to the Central City Bank and get the contents of safety deposit box one one zero one four one. I need a place where I can connect with my past. Can you somehow get me off the planet? Not far, I just need perspective."

"Anything," Bruce said, standing up and grabbing his cell phone. "Thank you, Chelsey, for telling me this. It must have been difficult."

"I'm sorry for withholding the truth for so long, but I will do what I can to help."

Bruce dialed a number on his phone and lifted it up to his ear. "Hey, Barry, small favor to ask. Can you get safety deposit box eleven zero fourteen one from Central City Bank and meet me on the Watchtower? Thanks." He hung up and turned to me. "Come on. We're going to the League's headquarters. It's in space. Think that will work?"

I nodded. Of course the Justice League had a secret base in outer space. Anything less than that would have been so ordinary.

I followed Bruce into the Batcave where he pulled on his suit. We approached the zeta tube where he gave me access to the Watchtower. I stepped into the blinding white light, embracing the memories that came flooding back before stepping out into the space station. Batman was seconds behind me.

"Is there a Green Lantern around?" I asked Captain Atom, who was pulling monitor duty.

"I can call in Hal Jordan," he offered. "The others are off planet."

"Please," I requested before turning to Batman. "Is there a somewhat quiet area with a view of the planet that I can occupy for an extended period of time?"

"What are you going to do?" Batman asked.

"I'm going to open myself up to the Force again."

\----

I had been sitting in the garden level of the Watchtower with my legs crossed for several minutes when the Flash arrived, accompanied with Batman and one of the Green Lanterns. Flash passed me a box.

"What is it?" Batman asked as I opened the lid.

"My lightsaber."

Seeing the disassembled pieces of the weapon that had saved my life time and time again sent a sad little pang through my heart. I reached up to the kyber crystal that hung from my necklace and tugged it free. Meticulously I arranged the pieces in a row.

The three men watched in anticipation, but I wasn't ready to assemble the pieces yet. Once I was fully opened up to the Force, then I would be able to piece it back together.

"Do you know where I am from?" I asked the Green Lantern.

"Yes," he replied. "The Lantern Corps were asked to leave your galaxy a long time ago, but every now and then we pop by to see what's going on."

"When was the last time someone went?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to know the answer.

"Within the past few years."

"What's it like?"

The Lantern paused for a minute. He was probably figuring out the nicest way to tell me what had happened.

"It is in chaos. After Order 66, the Jedi Order fell and the Republic was replaced with the Empire ruled by Emperor Palpatine. His connection to the Force is strong."

Order 66. It had been from our own leader. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Is he aligned with the Sith?"

"He is the Sith."

I let out a shaky breath. So much was becoming so clear.

"How many Jedi are left?"

"Those that did survive went into hiding and are continuously persecuted. There aren't many now and no one is brave enough to train a new generation of warriors."

I nodded, swallowing the bile that had risen in my esophagus. All my mentors, all my fellow trainees, all my friends--they were gone.

The garden fell quiet and I closed my eyes, letting out another long breath before opening my mind, allowing the Force to flow through me for the first time in years. Images flashed before me. Horrible images of death and destruction. Masters being shot by Clones. Clones shooting innocents. Citizens facing poverty and starvation.

When I opened my eyes I was floating a foot above the ground, the parts of my lightsaber suspended in front of me, drawn out in a long line. The pieces twisted before self-assembling. I reached out and the lightsaber drifted toward my hand. As my fingers wrapped around the grip, I was pulled into another Force echo.

"A Jedi's lightsaber is the most important tool they have..."

My footsteps crunched on old ice as I ran through an icy cave system, leaping over crevasses and cracks with ease. Finding my kyber crystal was going to be so easy...

Assembling my blade was so frustrating. The switch wouldn't activate despite the fact that everything was in its proper place.

"You need patients, youngling..."

My eyes snapped open again and I plummeted to the floor, painfully bruising my tailbone on the way down.

"Easy there, Chelsey. Are you alright?"

I turned to see Nightwing leaning against one of the Watchtower windows, arms crossed casually over his chest. When had he gotten here?

"You've been in a...meditative state for almost two days now."

"Two days?" I repeated, scrambling to my feet.

"Almost two days," he repeated. "Were you ever going to tell us?"

"What?"

"About being from another galaxy and being a Jebi Warrior?"

"Jedi," I corrected. "And I never finished my training, so technically I'm not a Knight now. And to answer your question, no. It wasn't relevant."

"Wasn't relevant? Chelsey, this was a huge part of your life! Not to mention the fact that you didn't grow up with Engelmann, despite what you'd been telling us."

"I left it behind and I didn't want to relive it. Unfortunately, I just did. I just experienced Order 66 over and over as every one of my masters, mentors, and peers were cut down by our own troops. Betrayal after brutal betrayal as thousands of lives--some hundreds of years old and some less than a year old--were extinguished. Forgive me if I didn't want to share," I spat coldly, turning away and plunging to the garden.

"Chelsey," Dick called after me, but I kept going until I found the stairs down to the main level.

Batman was sitting at the monitor and stood up when I appeared.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," I replied. "Is Green Lantern around? I have a huge favor to ask him."

"He and Superman are off world but they will be back soon enough."

"Thank you. Can you authorize me to go down to the Cave? I need to train."

Batman paused for a minute. "Yes. But you've been meditating for two straight days. You need to eat and sleep first."

I knew he was right, but I felt like I needed to do something. If I tried to sleep, my mind would start wandering and I knew it would return to the visions I'd seen end the echoes I'd felt.

Batman stood up and lay a firm hand on my shoulder. He walked me through the zeta tube and into the Cave where he gave Batgirl strict instructions to make sure I slept for a few hours and got something to eat. Batgirl escorted me to the room I'd occupied for the past few nights and promised to bring back something for me to eat. I sat on the edge of the bed twisting my lightsaber in my hand. I hadn't pressed the button yet, probably because I feared that it wouldn't work. It hadn't worked when I first assembled it either because I wasn't ready.

What if I wasn't ready to enter back into the Jedi way of life? What was my purpose now?

"Here," Batgirl said, returning with a tray. There was a sandwich, a bowl of soup, and a big glass of water. "Batman told us what you told him. Is it true that you're a trained warrior?"

"Yes and no," I said, taking a bite of the sandwich. "I was in the process of training, but not in the way you might think. I'm more than a bit rusty now, but I will practice and when I'm ready I will show you."

"Take you time, Chelsey. We know enough about your father's operation to keep heading it off, but when we're ready to take the fight to him, we welcome your help."

She left and I finished the food before laying down on the bed. The dreams and visions I feared would plague my mind didn't come. I was so exhausted that I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter Six: Old Doors

When I woke up, everything was silent. I hadn't noticed it earlier when I left the Watchtower, but I felt more alert, more in tune with my surroundings. The Force was already at work within me.

I pulled on my quilted jacket and boots and wandered the Cave. No one else seemed to be up as I wandered mindlessly, finding what several had referred to as "the back door." I stepped out into the freezing night. Mount Justice was surrounded by trees, which gave way at the back onto a private strip of beach.

Everything was blanketed in snow or ice crystals as I trudged through the undergrowth toward the sound of waves crashing against the beach. The sound was so peaceful and the landscape was so beautiful. The snow was like a blank canvas, my footsteps the only marks.

The first step in training was to retrain my mind.

I stopped on the beach, looking up and down. The snow tapered out at the high tide line where the sand was exposed. Water receded further down the beach, somewhere between low and high tide. As I breathed in the refreshing salty air, my eyes wandered upward. Thousands of white pinpricks marked the black sky.

Was one of those my home, millions of lightyears away? I wondered, not for the first time in the last ten Earth years.

The environment was optimal for interacting with the Force. There were peaceful elements--the repetitive sound of the surf, the general silence, and the crisp air--ideal for focus and clarity.

I leaned down and planted my hands in the snow, putting more and more weight on them until my feet came up, rising until I was perpendicular to the ground. My eyes fluttered shut and I opened my mind, letting the Force surround and enter me as Master Yoda had taught me at the Temple years before.

I focused on the sounds of the waves crashing against the beach, creeping up the beach before retreating back into the ocean. Around me, snow shifted as larger rocks began to break through the barrier. I could sense their placement around me as they hovered, suspended in the air.

Slowly my right hand lifted off the ground until I was supported only by my left hand. The night was so silent, the beach so still. I could practically hear the frost crystalizing around me.

One with the Force.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was beginning to rise. The sky above the water was gray with streaks of pink and orange. A few rays were illuminating the edge of the beach, casting a golden glow to the dull sand. I exhaled and the rocks that had been drifting around me fell into the snow. Gracefully I dropped to the ground and rose to my feet.

My lightsaber was hooked to my belt and I detached it. I'd grown since I'd last held it properly. Back then, the grip had seemed so big for my hand. Now it felt just right.

I pressed down on the switch and watched the blue blade that expanded. It was a little too short, so I adjusted the length of the blade and swooshed it experimentally. One movement, one slice of the blade, opened up a floodgate. Years of training, lessons, and battle experience came rushing back and my instincts took over.

The secluded snowy beach became my training ground as I practiced formations that masters at the Temple had shown me. As I moved the blade and fully embraced the Force, I felt a presence behind me.

"Hello, Nightwing," I said, turning around and switching off my lightsaber, clipping it back to my belt in one swift motion.

"You're up early," he noted.

A beat passed.

"Do you have one of those automatic tennis ball machines?" I asked.

"What for?" Nightwing replied skeptically. I suppose it was a strange request.

"When I trained at the Temple we had a gadget that would shoot blaster beams at us. It would simulate something similar since I don't have one of those devices."

Nightwing thought for a moment.

"No machines, but I know someone who would do the job just as well. Let me make a quick call." He walked a little ways up the beach and brought his phone to his ear. "Hey man, I know it's early but I have a favor to ask...Don't worry, you won't be in the field. Just a little training exercise for a newish edition to the Team...Great. I'll see you in a few."

I followed Nightwing back into Mount Justice and into the training rooms. He opened the door to an equipment room and we peered inside. Among the racquets, bats, and balls was a shopping cart full of fuzzy green tennis balls.

"And I'll need a blindfold or something to cover my eyes," I requested as I started pushing the cart toward the big circular area. It was the most open space and would best serve my purposes.

Nightwing disappeared and came back a few minutes later with a strip of black cloth. I nervously wrapped and unwrapped it around my wrist as we waited. I was a little intimidated by the call Nightwing had made. Who was going to help me train? Surely there wasn't anyone as good as a machine would have been.

I didn't have to wait long because the zeta tube started up and a boy with orange hair and a smile on his face despite the early hour walked through.

"Hey, KF," Nightwing called. "Chelsey, this is Wally West or Kid Flash. Wally, this is Chelsey Engelmann."

"Just Chelsey. Engelmann was an adopted name given the circumstances," I said, shaking his hand.

Wally sized me up, taking a particular interest in my collapsed lightsaber.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Likewise."

"Engelmann. Sounds familiar."

"You may have heard of Ned Engelmann. He sort of adopted me."

"Right on," Wally replied awkwardly. There wasn't a good response to that fact.

Nightwing was silent while we were getting acquainted but it was clear he didn't want his time being wasted.

"What, exactly, is Wally here for?" he asked.

"Don't look at me, dude. You're the one that called at six thirty in the morning," Wally said quickly holding up his hands defensively while calling Nightwing out at the same time. He was slick.

"I need help training. Just start throwing tennis balls at me," I explained, tying the blindfold over my eyes and turning on my lightsaber. "It's more than a glorified baseball bat," I assured the boys.

"Just throw them at you?" Wally repeated, a note of skepticism to his voice.

"Yep. Give me a little time between them to start out and, you know, move around a bit."

I couldn't see, but I could tell Wally was hesitant. He tossed the first ball half-heartedly in my direction. When I sliced it in half with an easy flick of the saber, twisting the blade around in my hand, I could practically hear their jaws hitting the floor. There was dead silence in the room after the two halves of the tennis ball dropped.

"Come on!" I prompted, whipping my sword around, acclimatizing myself to the new length.

Wally tossed another one. I sensed it and blocked, twirling my blade and spinning ninety degrees as the next one came my way. There was barely time to recover as another one was speeding toward me. My lightsaber was in continuous motion as I dodged, blocked, and sliced.

A memory of being on a cruiser with Zalz a-Bara between missions to warring planets surfaced. I was standing in the empty mess hall, a helmet pulled over my face as a training device whipped around my head shooting blasts at me. I deflected each one, directing the blast toward targets that Master a-Bara had arranged throughout the room at varying distances.

I sensed two tennis balls coming at me from either side and, just like on the beach, instincts took over. My left hand sliced through the air as my right hand reached out as I directed Force to propel the ball away. The ball smacked against the Cave wall aggressively and I heard a huge whoomph followed by a crash.

"What was that?" Wally demanded, groaning in pain.

I peeled up my blindfold and saw him on the ground. He'd been caught in the Force blast.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed running through a graveyard of tennis ball halves so I could drop down at his side. "I haven't practiced that in a few years."

"That was amazing," he said. "The fancy blade work and the power blast. What is your weapon made out of?"

"It's a Jedi lightsaber that I made when I was a Padawan Learner at the Temple. It's got a diatium power cell in the handle that uses a kyber crystal to produce energy that is emitted like a blade," I explained. I closed my eyes and lifted the lightsaber with the Force, allowing the components to disconnect and expand outward before reconnecting back into the lightsaber.

"That's a neat trick," Nightwing noted.

"That was the Force. Not many are Force sensitive," I explained. "It depends on levels of midi-chlorians in your blood."

"So if you have the metawhatawhats you have the Force?"

"Everyone has midi-chlorians, but Force wielders have them in high concentrations. But there's more too it. It's about training and focusing the mind and connecting with the Force. I have to act as a conduit in a sense and the Force helps me and tells me things."

"It tells you things?" Nightwing asked skeptically, kicking aside half a tennis ball.

"I sense things. I see things. You just witnessed a demonstration of that. In some sense it heightens my senses. I knew you were behind me on the beach this morning without turning around because I sensed you were there."

Wally seemed impressed and Nightwing seemed determined to remain unimpressed.

"That's great and all, but you need to train and we don't know how to train you," Nightwing said bluntly. "If your blade cuts tennis balls in half like they're butter, I'm betting it will do the same to anything else."

"I can train myself," I replied, standing up and crossing my arms. "My masters gave me all the knowledge I need. It's a matter of tapping into my past and opening up my mind."

Nightwing popped an eyebrow but kept his mouth shut. I'd just demonstrated some of my abilities--we couldn't forget about that. Maybe I just needed to demonstrate more.

"Give me two batons and we can fight. If I show that I have something, you can let me do my own thing. If I'm rustier that I think, you can have both the satisfaction of proving me wrong and whipping me into shape," I proposed.

That was an offer Nightwing couldn't accept fast enough. Kid Flash disappeared and reappeared in seconds, presenting me with a set of batons. I took them from his outstretched hand, testing the weight as I swished them back and forth. Though I'd dabbled with two blades in the past, I was better with one. But this was a proving ground and I was going to step it up and show what I knew.

"No Force," Nighwing said. "We need to be on even ground."

"Fine," I replied, kicking tennis balls out of the way as I selected a spot in the middle of the room. Knees bent, batons at a forty-five degree angle at my sides--I was ready.

Nightwing was an aggressive opponent who came straight at me, both Escrima sticks flying. I blocked, pushing them aside as I stepped back, instincts taking over. It had been years since I dueled anyone and things were starting to come back to me.

Our batons seemed to be in constant motion as we swung and blocked and circled around each other, the sounds of impacts echoing through the room. I matched Nightwing's motions and he didn't lay a stick on me, but I wasn't winning either. My muscles were out of shape and I was starting to feel the strain as perspiration dribbled down my face. I tried something daring, swinging my left arm to intercept both sticks as my right arm swung in for a hit. Nightwing dove out of the way, turning back toward me, Escrima sticks at the ready.

"Not bad," he commented.

"I'm not done."

This time I charged forward, batons aimed at Nightwing's inner arms. He brought up his own sticks in an X, forcefully pushing away my attack. I recovered quickly and we went back and forth. Slowly I started loosing ground, so I readied myself for something I knew Nightwing wouldn't be expecting. There was enough ground between us that I started to dive forward. The second my feet were under me again, I jumped straight up.

I tucked my batons in as I twisted and flipped through the air, straight over Nightwing's left shoulder. I'd rotated enough in the air to be facing Nightwing's back. As I landed, I closed the gap between us before he could even turn around, tapping a baton to his side and the other to his throat.

There was complete silence for a moment.

"I told you I was trained," I finally said, stepping back.

Nightwing whipped around, lunging at me. My left hand automatically came up, the baton pushing the Escrima stick away. What I didn't count on was the speed of the attack. I ended up taking the brunt of the attack to the hand, which caused an incident that I will never forget.


	7. Chapter Seven: Memories of a Past Life

During the Clone War, I'd taken a blaster shot to the back of my left hand. It was enough to sever my ring finger, which medical droids had replaced with a very life-like bionic replica. I'd never had an issue with it during my stay on Earth--save for a few metal detector issues--but the force of Nightwing's attack was enough to dislodge the appendage, which went flying across the room.

"Aaahhh!" Wally shouted, pointing as the finger arced through the air, landing near the zeta tubes.

Nightwing saw the finger on the floor and started shouting, fully recoiling away. I would have been entertaining if I wasn't completely mortified.

I was too shocked to react, until Wally started shaking my shoulders, asking if I was alright.

"Calm down! I'm fine!" I finally shouted.

I shoved Wally off and marched across the room, picking up the finger. The two boys cringed.

"It's fake!" I explained, trying to calm them down. "I lost finger during a mission. This is just a prosthetic."

"But it bends like a real finger. It looks exactly like a real finger. We don't have the tech for that," Nightwing said, quickly reconstructing his stony exterior.

"But the Republic does," I replied, popping the finger back into place and experimentally flexing my hand. "This is a small scale replacement. When people are unable to regrow body parts, they can get pretty intricate bionic replacements that function as if they were normal. We saw it all the time during the Clone Wars."

That caught Nightwing's attention. He must have missed the first time around.

"You fought in a war?" His head cocked to the side.

"Yeah. Alongside my master and our troops. I helped identify tactical opportunities but wasn't old enough to do too much fighting or planning, especially after I lost my finger. Master Zalz a-Bara didn't think I was ready. It was more of a learning experience than battle experience, but I was still at war. I still watched the troops fall, saw innocent civilians killed in the crossfire, and saw the damage and destruction we were causing across the galaxy."

"Who was fighting?"

"The entire galaxy was drawn into it. It started with a Separatists movement that opposed the Republic. Then we discovered that one of the past Jedi Masters had ordered a clone army."

Wally scoffed and muttered, "As one does."

"We used the clones to fight the droid armies of the Separatists. Things were getting bigger and more complicated. There were neutral planets, more people joined the Separatists, and groups started Rebelling against the war in general. It was huge mess."

"How old were you?" Nightwing asked.

"That's the thing. It's hard to keep track of time when you're bouncing between planets, but I spent most of my time on Coruscant where the years a little longer than they are here on Earth. Engelmann and I decided that I would tell people I was ten, but I was probably older than that in Earth terms."

I don't think Nightwing could quite wrap his head around the concept of a youngling going to war.

"But the war over now?" Wally asked.

"I'm assuming so. Based on what the Lantern told me, the leader of the Galactic Republic was actually part of the Separatists the entire time and an enemy of the Jedi. He slowly started accumulating more and more executive power until he basically became the emperor--that was one of the last pieces of news I heard before the Order came out. Palpatine told the clone troops to turn on the Jedi, the only group that was stopping him from having ultimate power. They killed thousands of Jedi--younglings and masters alike. They slaughtered them where they stood."

A somber silence settled over the Cave. What I was saying today seemed to resonate better with Nightwing than it did yesterday. He seemed to grasp it better.

"How did you get out?" Wally asked.

"It was a fluke. I was on my way back to Coruscant, the capital planet, from the outer rim. If we hadn't been in an asteroid field, I would be dead. If Master Zalz a-Bara hadn't sent me back when he did, I would be dead. If I'd taken half a dozen hardened clones instead a crew of shinies, I would be dead.

"I don't actually know what happened. I got to a neutral planet and started meditating but all I felt was pain. The Force told me they were all gone. That was when I ran into Engelmann. He offered me a safe place to live, far away from the pain and suffering, and I jumped at it. It was only a matter of time before more clones came after me. Or worse, the Sith. Engelmann brought me to Earth and I sealed myself away from the Force so I didn't have to feel the pain and the loss."

"What are the Sith?" Nightwing asked.

"The Sith and Jedi are opposites. Jedi are peacekeepers, we live to serve others. Sith use what we call the dark side of the Force. They're selfish and angry and they kill and inflict pain. We thought they were gone, too, which let to a very rude awakening. Unfortunately, we did not learn from mistakes fast enough. In a way, we caused our own downfall."

"Being here must be very difficult," Nightwing said.

"Considering the fact that if I'd stayed I would probably have been hunted down and killed by now, I'll take it. Maybe I'm being selfish--I don't know. I'll come to terms eventually."

"Would you ever go back?" Wally asked.

I had to stop and think about it.

"I mean, it is my home. But it would hurt. To see how everything has changed and sense the voids left by those who'd been killed would be a very painful process. I have the ability to sense Force echoes. I can feel and see what people have gone through before. I've been sensing my own past lately, not true echoes, but now that I'm one with the Force again, I'll be able to feel things more intensely. It's going to be difficult, especially as more of my past returns to me. It's like there are two galaxies colliding in my head. It's been very difficult to handle and I think that the Force echoes would get me in the end if I ever went back."

Our conversation petered out, right as Miss Martian and Zatanna walked into the hub from the kitchen.

"We thought we heard voices," M'gann said. She was too cheerful. I don't know how she maintained it all the time. "Wally!"

M'gann flew across the room and wrapped the speedster in a hug. As Zatanna started to follow, she noticed the halved tennis balls and started looking around closer.

"What happened here?"

"Training exercise," I replied.

"So it's true? You're an alien warrior?"

"I wouldn't put it quite like that. I am human after all. But I have training."

"She stuck it to Nightwing," Wally said.

"But how's your hand-to-hand combat?" Nightwing asked. "Your laser sword will only work in so many situations. Are you prepared for a scenario without it?"

I gave Nightwing a very sharp look.

"I will always have my lightsaber--don't ever doubt that--but I was never much good at hand-to-hand combat."

"This is going to be fun to watch," Wally said, leaning against the wall. 

"We're going to call in the big guns for this. The faster Chelsey is trained, the faster we can bring Ned down. You know how he thinks and we could use you on the front lines," Nightwing said to me. "If you're up for it."

"I let this get out of hand so I guess it is my mess," I said. "I'll do whatever it takes to bring Ned down."

"Great. I'll call Canary."

\----

I slumped down at the kitchen table in the Cave, resting my head on my arms. My whole body was sore and I wanted nothing more than to sink into bed and sleep for fourteen hours. Canary, however, pushed me to eat a high-protein meal which M'gann had volunteered to make for me.

"That's one of the better first training sessions I've seen with Canary," M'gann offered as she checked on something in the oven and added pasta to a pot of boiling water on the stove.

"It was embarrassing!" I whined. "I'm supposed to be trained in things like this! I used to be fit."

"I know it's a difficult transition to life here at the Cave, but I think you have a good thing going for you, Chelsey. Once you're grounded, things will go smoothly."

"I hope you're right. But what's the point? I'm just going back to college once break is all over."

M'gann paused, tossing something into a frying a pan.

"After everything with Ned is over, you're going to drop the Team and return to college?" M'gann asked. She sounded disappointed.

"Well, yeah. I'm not even part of the Team. I never wanted any of this! I've tried so hard to forget my past and move on. Once the whole situation has been dealt with, I want to move on. I want to forget Ned and the Justice League and the Team and finish college and find a good job," I said wishfully. "Batman said he'd pay for the rest of my college career. Think he'd support a transfer to the west coast?"

"I think he'd support anything you wanted to do after Ned is behind bars, but after all you've gone through in the past few days alone? You want to throw all that away?"

I knew she was right. In the past three days alone I'd come clean to Batman, relived Order 66, reconnected with the Force, and taken a battering from one of the strongest fighters in the League. There was no going back after that and I was foolish to think that I could.

"I want to, I really, really want to but...but, oh, I don't know. There's just so much happening! I haven't fully processed what happened with Ned the other night and all the sudden I'm living here in the Cave."

M'gann walked over to where I was seated and put a comforting hand on my shoulder as she sat down beside me.

"We understand that, Chelsey, and we're here to support you."

I nodded my appreciation. M'gann rubbed my back until the oven timer sounded. My face was still firmly planted in the crook of my arm when she set the plate down next to me.

"Eat up then get some rest," she advised. "Black Canary will be back in the morning for another session."

"Thank you," I replied, digging into the plate of chicken pasta with roasted vegetables and pancetta.

As I snarfed down dinner, M'gann cleaned up the kitchen and started in on her own plate. We were about halfway through when the mission alarm sounded. M'gann was out of the kitchen in seconds and I followed, more out of curiosity than anything else. There was nothing I could do to help at this moment, but the more I learned about the Team, the smoother things would go with them in the long run.

Beast Boy and Robin joined us on the way to the hub. Rocket and Batgirl were already waiting with Nightwing and the rest of the Team filed in behind us from various places.

"Batman is sending us this mission. There was a breakout at Iron Heights and we need feet on the ground. I'll be zetaing up to the Watchtower to take over monitor duty and comms. The League requested two groups, so take the Super Cycle and the Bioship and load up two bikes, M'gann," Nightwing instructed, dividing up the squadrons.

They took off, leaving Nightwing and I in the cave again.

"I'm off," Nightwing said, shutting down the holo screens. "Get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" I asked, knowing full well that the best thing for me to do was stay out of the way.

"Not right now. You don't have a costume and you're not quite ready to join the Team. We'll get there in the next few days, though."

"Costume?" I said. "That just doesn't seem like the best word for it, you know?"

"What do you prefer?"

"A uniform. You guys are soldiers in a war against evil. It seems more suited."

"I'll keep that in mind. And you'd better start brainstorming what you want your uniform to look like. It's kind of a rite of passage around here."

"I already have a design in mind, but thanks for the warning."

Nightwing walked toward the zeta tubes and disappeared. Being the only person in the cave was strange. After all the time I'd spent there over the past few days, there was always someone else doing something. My footsteps seemed louder as I wandered back to my room. I felt bad that the Team and the League were cleaning up after a prison break while I got ready for bed, but my arms were sore from so much work and my back bruised from hitting the mat repeatedly.

My guilty conscious disappeared the moment my head hit the pillow and I was out.

\----

Apparently word had gotten around that I needed to be trained. When I was up at the crack of dawn and heading for the kitchen to make breakfast, I found a group of Leaguers. They didn't say anything to me, but I could tell they were watching as I opened the fridge and fished out a carton of eggs. I rooted around in the cupboard for a pan and some vegetable oil, and as I started cracking eggs on the edge of the counter, Canary broke away and approached.

"I brought some friends here to test your reflexes and get your confidence back," she told me. "When will you be ready to go?"

"Give me ten minutes to eat and twenty to meditate and settle my stomach," I said, cranking up the heat on the stovetop burners and setting down the pan.

"Alright."

She headed back to the group of heroes and I took a better look. I spotted Green Arrow with his bow and arrows, Wonder Woman carrying a sword, one of the Green Lanterns, and Icon. When my fried eggs were ready, I scooped them onto a plate and grabbed the hot sauce from the fridge. I ate quickly and cleaned up the mess I'd made.

"I'm heading out the back door. Can you let me back in in twenty minutes?" I asked Canary.

"Sure thing."

I took off down one of the hallways and found myself at the back door, pushing my way out into the blistering cold of a new morning. Fresh snow had covered up the tracks I'd previously left, but there was evidence that a motorcycle had come through recently. The Team had mentioned a local guy named Mal. He'd been on vacation with his family, but maybe he was back.

This time I didn't go all the way out to the beach. I found a quiet spot in the trees not far from Mount Justice and knelt down in the snow. The material of my pants immediately stuck to my knees as my body heat warmed up the snow, but I didn't care.

Deep breaths, I told myself, slowing my heartbeat as I focused on the chatter of the birds, the crashing of waves on the beach, the sound of snow falling from the trees onto the ground.

Completely focused on the surrounding environment, my body sort of took over and without even thinking, I got myself into the handstand position. As I let the present slip away, the sounds dimmed and something else took over. First it was an overwhelming feeling of relief, followed by the sobering realization that I was in danger. Images flitted about in my head but I didn't latch on to any of them. I had confidence that the Force would show me what I needed to know.

Superboy crashing through the ceiling, drywall and rubble raining down around him and the crater that had formed under his feet when he hit the cement floor.

A warehouse on a dark peer right beside the water with a flickering floodlight and a faded logo painted on the corrugated steel wall.

A TIE fighter cutting through the blue sky and the crackle of a radio.

A red lightsaber--

"Chelsey!"

I snapped out of the trance and tumbled to the ground, landing unceremoniously on my butt in the snow. Canary was standing by the back entrance, beckoning for me to follow her back inside. Shaking off the snow that clung to the seat of my pants, I followed her back into the warmth.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Meditation."

She gave me a quizzical look, tossing her honey blond hair over one shoulder.

"The way I heard it, you were floating when you meditated on the Watchtower," she said.

"I was. That was also meditation, just a different technique," I explained as we entered the hub. "So how is this going to work?"

Canary got to work explaining the importance of each person. She was there for hand to hand work. Icon was there to see if he could recognize any of the fighting styles I used--which could prove useful for finding the quickest ways to get me up and running again--when I sparred with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, who served a dual purpose. We were going to test my lightsaber against his power ring and if that didn't work, he would help Green Arrow with reflex training. And all of them would be critiquing my style and looking for weaknesses and faults that needed to be remedied.

"Right. Who first?"

I think everyone, including myself, was dying to see if Lantern's power ring could stand the test of my lightsaber. So I extended the blade while Lantern created a simple wall that glowed luminescent green. There was a collective intake of breath as I stepped closer, trying to decide between a full frontal attack or a simple poke. I went for something in the middle, taking a hefty swing at the side of the wall without putting all of my energy behind it.

It was a smart call.

My blade rebounded off the wall, sending my body twisting to recover. I'd braced for some bounce back, but not enough. Thankfully, though, I didn't end up on my butt in front of the League.

"Well. I guess that answers some questions," I said slowly, thinking out the possibilities this offered. I would be back in shape in no time.

Reflex training was next on the docket.

"We heard that you were blindfolded when you last practiced," Canary said, pulling a strip of cloth out of her pocket. I turned off my lightsaber and hung it on my belt, grabbing the fabric from her outstretched hand. "Let's start without your weapon. Green Arrow will just shoot at you."

That was comforting, I thought as I worked my way to the center of the room while everyone else took to the edge and shield Green Lantern produced. I tied the cloth over my eyes and took a deep breath. My senses were on high alert, but I think my hearing was what really prepared me. I could hear the bow being drawn back and the release.

When the first arrow was released, I sidestepped and my hand shot out, grabbing it by the fletching. Canary and Icon started whispering as Green Arrow fired again. I tossed the arrow I was holding aside and sidestepped the next few, noting that they started coming at me faster and faster. It was like a weird dance. I was constantly moving--rolling, jumping up, ducking to the side. When I finally found my groove, Green Arrow started shooting two arrows at a time. I used the Force to stop them mid-flight. They dropped and the sound of them rattling filled the cave.

"Right," Green Arrow said slowly.

"Lantern, could you give me a target to deflect toward?" I asked.

He didn't tell me where he put it, but I could feel it the way I could feel the tension in the bowstring as Green Arrow drew back and the way the air was sliced by the fletching. One flick of the hand sent the arrow spinning out of the way, straight into the basket Green Lantern had made for me.

When Green Arrow had gone through his quiver three times, we moved on. I could tell that they were in awe, but also fearful. As if they couldn't quite imagine everything I was capable of and that scared them. Whatever it was, they hid it pretty well and we moved on to sword work.

"Why don't we just spar for a few minutes and go from there?" Wonder Woman proposed, handing me a weapon.

It was heavy--much heavier than anything I'd ever fought with. After a few test swishes, I knew fighting with the blade would be inefficient and detract from the actual purpose of today.

"This sword is too heavy," I told Wonder Woman. "I'm used to fighting with a very light-weight weapon."

To prove my point, I slipped my lightsaber off my belt and handed it to her. She tested the weight.

"Let's go look at the armory," she decided, leading me through one of the training rooms to a locked door. After the computer verification kicked in, the doors slid open revealing the craziest room I'd ever seen.

The League had stocked every weapon imaginable. From the simplest of knives to the most elaborate guns and literally everything in between. We tested different blades until I found a lightweight rapier with a long blade and handle that I could grip with both hands that was relatively light. Although it was clear Wonder Woman wasn't a fan of the design, she grabbed one too.

When we got back to the hub, we stood a few paces apart in radically different ready stances. Wonder Woman stood upright with her body at an angle, sword in her right hand angled across her body. I was crouched with my full body facing Wonder Woman, my sword held in a reverse grip in my left hand angled behind my back while my right hand sort of reverse mirrored the left. 

Before she even made the first move, I had a feeling this training session with Wonder Woman was going to end disastrously. Our fighting styles were totally different and this was an actual sword fight for crying out loud. Whether or not she shared the same concern, Wonder Woman lunged forward with the first strike and all of Master Cin Drellig's training from the Temple on Coruscant came flooding back.

My arm whipped around and I parried each blow that Wonder Woman made and as she withdrew, I pounced. I favored the Djem So variant of Form V of lightsaber technique which relied on powerful counterattacks immediately after a strong defense. As Wonder Woman recovered, I changed my grip and, with the strength of two hands and the power of the Force, I reigned blow after overhand blow before withdrawing.

I was so out of shape. The problem was, half of fighting was being physically able to move with speed and precision. I kept up for a minutes more, but found myself slipping into Form III, focusing more on defense than anything else.

Wonder Woman never touched me with her sword, but I wasn't winning the fight. When I spotted a gap in her very open but effective defense, I capitalized on it and pulled on my limited knowledge of Form IV, spinning around as I leapt forward, finally slipping through her guard.

We withdrew and regrouped. I took up my fighting stance again but modified it, keeping my sword upright at my left side, both hands wrapped around the grip. I kept up a strong defense, forcing Wonder Woman back with powerful parries aided by the Force, enough to execute a similar move to what I'd shown Nightwing yesterday. As I bounded forward and jumped high, I brought my sword down in a powerful overhead swing. My jump was so powerful that when our swords made contact, I was able to use the force of our blades colliding to propel me up and over Wonder Woman's head.

I added a half twist the maneuver so when my feet hit the ground, I was facing Wonder Woman's exposed back. This was becoming somewhat of a signature move, I noted as I lunged forward and brought my blade up to my opponent's neck.

"Well," Canary said and I dropped my grip and stepped back.

"You have a very interesting stance," Icon noted.

I nodded, expecting more criticism, mainly from Wonder Woman.

"You started very strong," Wonder Woman said. "You were quick, your swings calculated and natural and surprisingly powerful. You were able to adapt quickly, falling back on what you knew instead of panicking. And that was a neat little trick there at the end. You have the foundation, it's just a mater of honing your skills again."

That was surprisingly positive.

"Remind me what fighting styles the Jedi use," Lantern requested.

It was actually an interesting question. Understanding how lightsaber techniques developed explained many of the aspects of the different variants.

"Initially, Jedi didn't even use laser swords. Basic technique was developed from good ol' sword work. But as the technology of the Jedi and the galaxy developed, Jedi adapted to heavy lightsaber on lightsaber combat. Form II teaches techniques that weren't fully addressed by Form I. Once the Sith were reduced and the Rule of Two--that there would only ever be a master and apprentice at the same time--was put in place, meaning there weren't huge lightsaber on lightsaber battles again, and technology continued to advance, Form III was developed. It's designed for blaster deflection mainly.

"Then there's Form IV. It's very aggressive, very fast pace, and very physical. Master Yoda preferred this method and watching him duel was amazing. He was always in motion but not just his blade. It's like a choreographed dance--very fluid and acrobatic.

"I practice the Djem So variant of Form V. Form V was developed around Form III, but with a more aggressive mindset. Master Plo Koon always described it as using superior firepower to achieve peace. It uses an offensive defense, quick retaliation, and strong blows enforced by the Force.

"Master Cin Drellig, who taught lightsaber techniques at the Temple, along with many of the other masters emphasized the importance of Form VI. The called it the Diplomatic Form because it found a balance of harmony and justice and emphasized the use of other skillsets beyond the lightsaber. And there are other techniques as well that don't fully fall into the forms. Some are designed for dual-wielding and such, but anything beyond Form VI is sort of out of my wheel house," I concluded.

The Leaguers soaked in the information. Hopefully they would understand the philosophy behind the styles and find some way to connect with that. Yesterday I'd so confidently told Nightwing I didn't need help training. The truth was, I needed all the help I could get.

I just didn't want to admit it.

Thankfully, Black Canary had picked up my case and wasn't going to give up without a fight of her own. The rest of the morning was exhausting. Wonder Woman drilled me until my arms cramped, tired from being held in the ready position. Then Canary stepped in and I set the sword aside, relying on my own two fists. It was safe to say that when they finally released me from our morning training session, my arms were as limp as overcooked noodles.

I headed straight for my room, where I crashed for an afternoon nap.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Field

The mission warning bell jolted me awake. I scrambled up and pulled on clothes, strapping my lightsaber to my belt as I ducked out the door. Superboy was in the hall, pulling a shirt over his head as he started toward the mission briefing.

Nightwing was standing at his computers and barely glanced up when we jogged in. That didn't stop him from calling me out, though.

"Chelsey, you're sitting out of this one even though I know you'll want to get your hands dirty."

"Oh, come on," I protested.

Superboy took a step back. That wasn't a good sign.

"Even if you were ready, you've been training all day and your muscles are stiff. Besides, this is a stealth op with a small squadron. Superboy isn't even going."

"Hey!" Superboy called. "Leave me out of this."

"He literally is!" I said back, stepping away. "This is about Ned, isn't it?"

"Colonel Future," Nightwing corrected. But it was essentially the samething.

Superboy and I stood back with our arms crossed as the others assembled. The squadron Nightwing selected consisted of Miss Martian, Robin, Batgirl, and Bee. After receiving instructions about when to engage and ensuring that Ned or the Light weren't involved, Alpha Squadron took off in the bioship. The rest of the Team dispersed and I trailed behind, looking for something to do.

The Cave wasn't the most entertaining place to hang out. Sure, there was a movie room, library, and a kitchen, but that was literally it. And since I didn't want to hit the weight room, I wandered until I ended up in the trophy room. M'gann had explained that Wally started collecting souvenirs back when he was on the Team, a practice Garfield had continued.

A wall of floor to ceiling shelves were stuffed full of knickknacks. A red hood with a black face mask attached, a red hand, a mask resembling a cat's face, a child's sippy cup, a metal eyeball. I reached out and touched a white and red backpack marked with a caduceus. As my fingers brushed the fabric, I was torn away from the present.

The room looked relatively the same, but everything was washed out with a pale blue glow. Only a few souvenirs decorated the shelf and Wally was adding another. A feeling of humbleness washed over me as a very young Dick Grayson--sporting a pair of tacky sunglasses--strutted through the doorway.

"Dude, I just heard. You saved an entire country! Major kudos," Dick said, pointing to Wally.

"What can I say? I'm the man," Wally replied, turning away from the shelves.

The echo ended and I staggered back, blinking away blue. I hadn't felt a full echo of the past like that in a long time.

"Are you alright?" someone asked from the door behind me.

I turned to see Superboy, leaning against the frame.

"Yeah. I just sensed a Force echo that I wasn't quite prepared for. I'd forgotten how powerful they can be."

He walked into the room and stood beside me, eyes glued to the items on the shelves. He was experiencing his own echo of the past, one that I didn't feel comfortable interrupting. When he realized he was drifting, he asked me a question.

"What is this force?"

"The bumper sticker version? It's an energy field that surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the universe together," I replied. "But it's so much more than that. I can manipulate it when I'm fighting, I can turn to it when I'm meditating. It tells me the past, the present, and the future and connects me with all other living things."

Superboy took all that in. I'm sure he thought I was preaching about some cultic thing because he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Yet.

"Alright," he said slowly.

"Do you want me to show you?" I asked, smiling a little.

I reached out my hand and the metal eyeball from the trophy shelf shot through the air. Super Boy popped an eyebrow up but wasn't completely convinced. After all, it was a simple party truck, something my masters had warned me against. The Force wasn't to be trifled with and misused.

So I lowered myself to the ground and crossed my legs, closing my eyes as I opened my mind. I reached out to Super Boy, allowing his emotions to wash over me and flood my system.

"You're angry," I said slowly. "Not about anything in particular, just the world in general. As my masters would say, anger leads to the Dark Side. You should be mindful of your emotions."

Superboy snorted, but I continued.

"You're bored. You haven't been on a mission in a while, and the last few have been recon only. Sitting around makes you feel useless and you think you should be out, leaving no stone unturned in a desperate search to bring down the Light and Ned Engelmann," I said, voicing the very overwhelming sense of listlessness that Super Boy was feeling. "And you don't like me. I've thrown things into chaos around the Cave and everything is focused on Ned. There are other problems that need to be solved but they're not being addressed."

"Huh. That was surprisingly accurate."

I wasn't quite done. There was something else. Something evading me that wasn't related to Superboy, but nagging at me, reaching out. It was a strong emotion, one of fear.

My eyes flew open and I scrambled to my feet.

"Nightwing!" I cried, turning and tearing from the room. Superboy was hot on my heels as we cashed into the hub.

The crackle of a radio filled the room. There were shouts and Nightwing was pacing back and forth, trying to give helpful directions. His face was drained of color and he was barely holding his calm demeanor together. When he saw us, he gave an order I never thought he was going to say.

"Suit up. Superboy, get her something to wear. With a mask!" Nightwing added. "And someone find Rocket! Meet me in the vehicle garage in two minutes!"

My jaw dropped, but Superboy didn't let me revel. He grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the room.

"Go change. I'll get a mask and call Raquel," he said, shoving me down one hallway while he took off down another. "Wear black!"

I didn't need to be told twice. The lingering sleep and stiffness was gone as I darted down the hall into my room and rooted around my closet, pulling out a pair of black pants that were comfortable to move about in but wouldn't make noise. I pulled them on and slipped on my favorite Doc Martins. As I emptied my shirt drawer onto the floor, Superboy let himself into the room.

"Long sleeve with or without a turtleneck?" I asked, holding up two options. They were both lightweight but warm, designed for jogging.

"Turtleneck," Superboy said, echoing my thoughts exactly. "I have two mask options for you. And Rocket is on her way as we speak."

I pulled the turtleneck over my sports bra and surveyed the mask options. They were both variations on a classic domino mask, and I chose the one with the most coverage and slapped it on, grabbing a black leather jacket and my belt and heading out the door. As we ran to the garage, I strapped on the belt, checking that my lightsaber was in a comfortable position.

We were emerging in the garage when I tugged on the leather jacket, appreciative that four years ago I'd chosen this one. It was from the men's department, meant for someone with much broader shoulders than I had, which was perfect for moving around and fighting. I had even taken in the sides so it fit snugly at the stomach and waist. I'd worn it when I followed Ned around, tracking his weapons deals, and somehow, putting it on now felt right.

Rocket was waiting with Nightwing inside the Supercycle. I climbed into the back right between Nightwing and Rocket as Superboy took the controls and we set off.

"Here's the deal," Nightwing said, passing me an earpiece, which I popped into place. "I lost radio contact with Alpha. Something happened, and Ned was there. Chelsey, I'm in charge. You will follow orders, or this is your first and only time in the field, understand?"

"Yes," I said.

Nightwing gave me a Batman-inspired look and decided I was dead serious before moving on.

"Chelsey, you need a callsign."

"Um, I don't know...Jedi," I decided. It was easy to remember and wouldn't be confused with anyone else on the Team.

"Perfect. Alright. Alpha was in a storage building in Gotham that we connected with Colonel Future. They were there to seize the cache of weapons that had been provided by Ned, but from what Batgirl managed to communicate, there was something else going on. She confirmed that Ned was there, but that was all the information I managed to get. We're going in blind, but we're going to do it smartly," Nightwing said. "Rocket and Superboy, you guys are going in through the roof. Recon from the League earlier revealed a door up top. Chelsey--Jedi--and I will be walking straight through the front door. Our priority is securing any weapons on the premise. Then anyone there, which includes Future, Ned, and anyone else that might be connected to the weapons deal."

"What about Alpha?" Rocket asked.

"That's the thing. They could still fighting right now," Nightwing said. "I'm just as worried about them. But if we go crashing in, we'll draw the attention away from Alpha which will, hopefully, allow them to regroup."

"Why are we the only ones going in?" I asked. "Is there any other backup?"

"We're it, I'm afraid. Beat Boy is under the weather, Lagoon Boy is with Aquaman and Wonder Girl is with Wonder Woman, and Zanna had a previous engagement. And the League gave us this mission, and I'm not going to ask for help."

Seemed a bit premature to jump to that conclusion so early in the game, but he was determine to prove to his mentors that we could do it, which I respected.

"But I called Batman and told him that we were going in and, if it comes down to it, I can send a distress signal."

"It won't come to it," Rocket said.

"Two minutes out," Super Boy reported.

I peered over the edge of the Supercycle and caught a glimpse of the city that had become home in the past two years. The buildings and lights became more intense as we drew nearer, dropping down between the tallest of the skyscrapers.

"Land on the roof," Nightwing directed and the Supercycle came to a halt.

Rocket floated out of her seat and Nightwing vaulted over the edge of the vehicle. I followed, jogging over to the edge of the roof with him. He hopped up on the ledge that ran the length of the building, Escrima sticks in hand, ready to jump, but remembered me.

"Don't worry about me," I promised. "I'll keep up."

We jumped at the same time. Nightwing was heavier than me and fell faster, but stuck out his arms, gliding toward the ground. That was when I passed him, breaking my controlled fall with outstretched hands that manipulated the Force, bringing me safely to a stop. I jogged down the alley, keeping up with Nightwing, who swooped to a halt where the side street met the main road.

"Neat trick," he commented, reaching up to his ear. "Jedi and Nightwing, we're safely on the ground, about the infiltrate."

"Copy. We're in position," Rocket said.

"Wait for my signal," Nightwing ordered, ducking onto the street. He hung to the side of the building and I trialed after him, halting on one side of the front entrance. Nightwing ducked low and crossed to the other side.

He made eye contact that signaled he was going to bust down the door. I stuck out a hand and stayed him, holding up a finger and closing my eyes. Through the Force, I sensed the locking mechanism and tripped it, unlocking the door. Without even touching the door, I had it open. If he was impressed, Nightwing covered it well. He plunged in first, Escrima sticks held up, ready to launch into action. I was a safe distance behind him, lightsaber ready in my hand; all I needed to do was press the switch.

The door had opened into short hallway with offices on either side. We moved through the hallways, silent as wraiths, and approached a big metal door at the other end. There were raised voices on the other side and, after a few more hand signals, we bust through, plunging blind into danger.

On the other side of the door was a huge space. The ceiling stretched upward, leaving plenty of room for the huge wood crates that were inside, stacked well over fifteen feet high. Most of the crates were grouped to my right, in between two pillars. The rest of the cement floor was pretty much open with the occasional obstruction--including a forklift, a stack of spare pallets, and a long folding table with a single open crate on the surface.

My eyes immediately landed on Ned, who was standing with Colonel Future and a few men dressed in black with Kevlar vests on the other side of the table, smack dab in the center of the room. They all carried guns. But this was Ned, so they weren't modern guns. They were futuristic and dangerous and, well, an unknown quantity.

Behind Ned, the Colonel, and the muscle, I saw the crumpled form of Batgirl. She was clearly down for the count, her unconscious body tossed over Robin. I saw another black cape that must have belonged to M'gann and assumed that Bee was somewhere over there, too.

"Drop the weapons," Nightwing ordered.

Ned scoffed, raising the barrel of his gun and pointing it straight at me. Without hesitation, he fired, his gun emitting a glowing ball of white light. I shoved Nightwing out of the way and had my lightsaber out in seconds, moving my body out of the way as I intercepted the strange energy projectile with the blade. The energy dissipated and everyone in the room seemed to pause. No one was expecting that.

If he hadn't realized it earlier, Ned knew it was me, which galvanized him into action.

"Get her!" Ned shouted at Colonel Future and his henchmen.

That was when all hell broke loose.

As all six people in the room open fired on me, Nightwing called into the commlink and Superboy crashed straight through the ceiling behind the shooters. Rubble and debris rained down behind him as Rocket dropped through and started shooting beams of light out of her hands. I couldn't help but notice the similarities to my vision from the other day.

My lightsaber deflected and absorbed the first wave of projectiles. I actually gained ground, doing exactly as Nightwing had said and placing myself between the crates of weapons and everyone else.

Naturally, the four of us boxed in the group that held the middle of the room. While I guarded the weapons, Rocket stood guard over our fallen teammates, a glowing green protective bubble around them. Nightwing and Superboy were squeezing Colonel Future and his men, who weren't afraid to put the weapons they'd acquired from Ned to the test.

"Give me the money!" Ned shouted as Colonel Future cocked his gun and shot a spray of electric pulses toward Rocket. Her shields were so large there was no way she could keep it up for long.

The henchmen were digging into the crate that was on the table, discovering the other weapons Colonel Future had acquired from Ned. We may have had them surrounded, but they could easily outgun us if we weren't careful and strategic. The problem was, Miss Martian was down and all our communication would be auditable, which totally negated the purpose.

I was sure Nightwing was scheming, but I was a tactician as well, and I decided to make my move. When there was a gap in gunfire directed toward me, I reached out my hand and pushed, sending a huge Force blast directed straight at the box of weapons. It was made of solid wood, two feet tall, four feet deep, and five feet long. And it was heavy.

The crate shot straight off the table toward the back wall just beyond the advancing Superboy, clocking one of the stooges on the head with the corner. He went down, hitting the floor as the box smashed into one of the support columns with a monstrous crunch followed by a ginormous crash. That took care of the supply issue.

Psychic link established.

M'gann's voice in my head nearly made me jump out of my skin, I was so startled.

She was smart, though, remaining completely still on the floor.

Batgirl? Robin? Bee? Nightwing questioned.

I'm here, Barbara called. I have Bee, but she's still out.

Ned turned his gun at me and started shooting. I absorbed most of the blasts, ducking and dodging a few that were wide.

What's the plan? Superboy asked, charging at one of the henchmen.

I had a plan, but I let Nightwing take the lead because it was his Team and, well, I didn't want to overstep my bounds on the first try.

When I give the signal, Batgirl and M'gann, get up. We're going to cause some confusion and take them all down. Miss Martian, get Robin and Bee out through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Rendezvous with us on the roof later. Jedi, Rocket, protect the weapons while Batgirl, Superboy, and I take out these guys. We're going to make a literal smokescreen and charge in, Nightwing directed. Superboy, Ned is the priority and I want you to nab him, okay? If we cut off the supplier, we can deal with the weapons later. Batgirl, you're going to have to throw the smoke bombs. Are you ready?

On three, she said.

I inhaled a nervous breath in anticipation, my fingers locking onto my blade even tighter. This was it. This was when we were going to take down Ned once and for all.

One, two, three, she counted off.

Batgirl sprung to her feet, catching pretty much everyone else in the room off guard. One of Colonel Future's hire hands recoiled in shock at the suddenness of the movement. She dug into one of the pouches on her belt and cast a handful of what looked like gray marbles into the center of the room. They began hissing and smoke started pouring into the room, filling the air with thick white smoke within seconds.

"Where's the money, Future?" I heard Ned shout.

While Ned and Future scuffled over the payment for the guns, Rocket swooped across the room, landing to my right. I lowered my lightsaber to my side, breathing deeply as my eyes drooped, allowing my mind to focus on the fight that was ensuing in the smoke. The shots in our direction had subsided, but that didn't mean a stray pulse wouldn't make it's way over.

I'm putting up a shield, but I'll need uninterrupted focus, Rocket said, putting the weapons between her and the fight. I stood as a guardian, blade ready to defend anything that came our way.

Robin and Bee are safely in the bioship, Miss Martian reported. Do you need help?

Standby, Nightwing grunted. There was a series of smacks and crashes. If I had to guess, someone had crashed into the table. As if to prove my point, I heard the crack of plastic. That would be the table.

The smoke was starting to dissipate, and I could see the rough outline of a few figures. One was Nightwing--I could tell by the stature and the Escrima sticks--and he launched himself at one of the outlines, grappling with them until he and the poor guy in a choke hold. After a few seconds, he dropped the guy like a sack of flour and he crumpled to the ground.

One of the guys got the bright idea to make a break for it. He must have been completely disoriented because he came directly at me but his eyes were glued to the fight behind him. All I had to do was stick out a foot that sent him sprawling, straight into Rocket's shield which sent him flying backward, straight into the thick of the fight again, colliding with an angry Superboy on the way. Things didn't end well for him.

Someone clear the smoke out of here, Nightwing ordered.

On it, Miss Martian replied.

It took a few seconds, but the smoke cleared and that was when we realized there was a problem.

Colonel Future and the four henchmen were sprawled on the ground in various degrees of unconsciousness. But Ned--and presumably the money he'd been arguing over with Colonel Future--was nowhere in sight.

"Jedi! Come on!" Nightwing shouted sprinting toward the door. I took off after him as he gave out directions over the mind link for Batgirl and Superboy to secure the prisoners and for Miss Martian to get the weapons onto the bioship.

We crashed onto the main street and, when we determined that Ned was nowhere in sight, Nightwing took off to the left and I split right, ducking around into the alleyway that we'd landed in. Ned had to be around here somewhere. And I needed to get my hands on him before Nightwing so I could make him pay for everything he'd put me through.

The air was bitter cold and the streets were completely dark--there wasn't a streetlamp or floodlight in sight. Darkness had encircled the city before we arrived, but it seemed even darker now. My footsteps rang against the walls of the buildings as I charged down the narrow alleyways in a haze of anger and determination. Every second we wasted looking was another second he had to escape.

What if it was too late?

I started to digress, turning down random side streets and tripping over trash and debris, desperate for a glimpse at Ned so I could bury my fist in his face. The problem was, the training from yesterday seemed to hit me suddenly with the force of a brick wall. My side cramped, my breathing was choppy and uneven, and my calf muscles seized, drawing me to a humiliating halt. I let out an angry shout, spinning in a circle, eyes peeled for Ned.

Anything? I demanded, but there was no response. Had I ran out of range?

Exhausted, I leaned against one of the towering buildings that boxed me in, taking a huge, shuttering breath.

Calm yourself, a voice in my head said. Let go of your anger and reach out through the Force.

I listened to that voice, not knowing whether it was an old wisdom from a master resurfacing or the Force speaking to me directly. Whatever it was, it was right. Clinging to my emotions about Ned wasn't helping my cause. They were driving me to make rash, unplanned choices that, in the end, served no purpose.

As my breathing slowed and the pain in my calves disappeared, I got a clear image in my head. Nightwing was methodically checking the streets around the storage facility. There was danger lurking around the corner. In a flash, I saw Ned firing at Nightwing's exposed back.


	9. Chapter Nine: A Not so Merry Christmas

Of course I was out of range telepathically. That would have made things too easy.

The Force guided me back through the streets. Instead of focusing on Ned, I was determined to ensure Nightwing wasn't in hot water. We should have been much more strategic about our search and laid out a grid or something because this was a complete disaster.

Nightwing! Nightwing! Nightwing! I called mentally, changing his name like a mantra until I was rewarded with a response.

Where did you go? Nightwing demanded.

Forget that. Watch your six. The Force showed me a vision of the future and Ned got the drop on you. Where are you?

High ground.

I looked up, plotting the quickest way to get myself up onto the roofs. Unfortunately, there were no conveniently placed fire escapes and I wasn't going to sacrifice speed for high ground. As I wove my way back to the storage facility, I could sense Nightwing's presence getting stronger and stronger. He was around here somewhere, which meant Ned was around here somewhere.

When I finally spotted a fire escape, I charged forward and jumped, catching on to the bottom rung ten feet above the ground and hauling myself up. I pounded up the stairs, feet slamming against the metal grates that made up the landings, running as fast as I physically could. After what felt like forever, I pulled myself over the edge of the roof and twisted around in a circle, surveying the surrounding buildings. I was a few stories about everything else and had a somewhat clear view of everything else. And despite the fact that I was directionally challenged, I felt the pull toward Nightwing and took off running.

I leaped onto the next building, executing a flawless roll that brought me to my feet. I took off running, vaulting onto the next roof.

Sitrep, Nightwing. What's your twenty? I demanded.

I can see you. I'm on top of the apartment building that has the deli on the first floor.

That wasn't very helpful, but my internal compass in the right direction. Clearly my eyesight wasn't as good as Nightwings, because I was practically on top of him when I caught a glimpse of his blue emblem. Luckily, the building I was on was so close to the next one that I barely had to jump to cross over.

You okay? We lost contact for a little while there, he said.

Fine. I think I was out of range or something. I lost a little bit of control and didn't listen to the Force, I admitted. But when I slowed down, I had a vision that he got the drop on you. It was here, tonight, I know it.

As I explained my panic, I scanned the buildings around us.

So it's going to happen? You saw the future?

Not quite. It's a possible and likely future, but I'm here now and I wasn't in the vision. Which means something.

We could draw him out, set a trap, Nightwing offered.

That's a dangerous game. But it could work. If I can find a quiet, safe spot, I can meditate and feel him coming and warn you.

Nightwing nodded at me before sweeping his gaze across the horizon, looking at the surrounding roof tops.

Let's do it. Where was I in the vision?

I started pointing in a random direction that was completely unrelated and Nightwing played along. If we were being watched, that would be seriously awkward as we tried to set up the trap.

Right next to the storage building, I recalled. I could see the front and the neon sign. It was, like, two streets behind you and a little to the right, behind you.

Okay. Nightwing thought for a minute. M'gann, how are things on your end?

We're all cleaned up here, she replied.

Great. I want you to make a show of getting everything--the weapons and Colonel Future and his men--into the bioship and have it take off and camouflage right above the building. I want you to slip out in camo mode and meet us.

Copy that.

I peeled away and found the fire escape, making quite a racket as I descended to street level. My legs ached and I could barely breathe, but I took off in a random direction away from the street from my vision in search of a safe hiding spot. Nestled in a dark alleyway, I knelt down and assumed a meditative position.

As I reached out for Ned, Nightwing worked out details with Rocket, Superboy, and Miss Martian for a takedown. They were organized in some way. All I had to do was alert them.

I'm headed down to street level, Nightwing reported.

I took another deep breath, feeling out with the Force, searching for the space that Ned occupied. Where was he?

In my minds eye, I saw Nightwing dropping down onto the street. The neon letters came into view as he walked down the sidewalk. My heart clenched in my chest as I sensed Ned lurking nearby.

He's watching, I realized.

A vision formed in my mind. Ned was perched on a fire escape, a massive gun slung over one shoulder. As I watched, he tugged the gun free and held it up, pressing the scope to his eye.

He's on the fire escape! Drop, Nightwing!

I heard the shot ring out a few streets over and scrambled to my feet. My pace wasn't fantastic, but I started down the block toward the sound. By the time I burst onto the street, Nightwing was with Rocket, Superboy, and Miss Martian, Ned nowhere in sight. They confirmed my fears with a solemn shake of their heads.

He'd gotten away.

\----

"Damnit!"

I'd sloshed hot water all over the counter and my hand while attempting to make tea. Our return to the Cave had been met with some mixed feelings. We'd gotten Colonel Future and a huge payload of weapons, but Ned--who was no-doubt the bigger target--was still at large.

I slammed my fist into the counter, the frustration finally boiling over. Partly it was because I was here at the Cave, the Force flowing through me as I tracked down Ned's whereabouts. The other part was the fact that Christmas was tomorrow and I wasn't going to wake up at home to a beautiful tree, presents, and a day of tradition. No, I was going to spend what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year with a Martian, a clone, and a kid that turned into animals in a Cave and have to pretend that everything was okay.

"Bad night?"

I glanced up to see Hal Jordan in his Green Lantern getup, power ring glowing on his finger. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter opposite me, a look of amusement on his face.

"I've had better," I said.

Hal nodded and studied the granite countertop for a minute before looking up and catching my eye.

"I heard you had a favor to ask."

"Right." It was a big favor. "Is there a way to get up-to-date intel about my home?"

Hal bowed his head, as if he had expected as much.

"I already put in a request from Oa for a full report. It should arrive any day now," he promised.

"Thank you."

He straightened up, almost said something, and thought better of it. I watched him turn to leave, but something pulled him back.

"I went once, to your galaxy. It was a very confusing place with a lot of tension and need for someone positive in control. The lack of proper leadership was evident."

"Where did you go? Which planets?"

"Just the outer rim ones. Vestar, Elrood, and Dagobah. And something strange happened to me when I was there, on Dagobah. It was this swampy place, very few forms of intelligent life. And I met a creature who was a Jedi Master at the height of the Republic."

I breathed in sharply, my hand clamping over my mouth. I was almost too afraid to ask, but at the same time, I was desperate.

"He called himself Yoda, and he predicted our meeting here on Earth. Well, he called you by a different name, but I now realize this is what he meant," Hal said.

His words were distant as a mixture of emotions began to flood my system. Hope. Hurt. Heartache.

I wasn't alone.

"How long ago was this?" I finally managed. My voice was soft and the words took so much effort to speak.

"Four Earth years.

Tears leaked out of my eyes as I let out a huge breath. If the countertop hadn't been beside me, I would have fallen over. I felt light headed and my stomach was doing strange things.

"Master Yoda is alive?" I finally repeated. "W-who else? What did he tell you? Was he alright?"

"Our conversation was short and cryptic. But he spoke of a girl named Chessa Connal Contal, Padawan Learner to Master Zalz a-Bara. He said I would find her on Earth and that, one day, she would return to home and see him again to finish her training." Hal paused while I soaked in the information. "It's your destiny."

I was destine to return home? To become a Jedi Knight?

My head spun and I wanted to vomit and cry tears of relief all at once.

"I'll let you know when that information comes through," Hal said quietly. He turned and left me alone to process the only Christmas gift I'd been given this year.

I didn't share about the conversation. Mostly because I wasn't fully sure what it meant. Yoda was fairly cryptic and mysterious, but he also trusted in the Force. He taught me to trust in the Force and follow it. Maybe I was destine to be led home by the Force, but I wasn't sure.

Christmas alone in my room was somewhat depressing, but I felt well-rested when I finally ventured out to train by myself. M'gann was in the kitchen cooking and someone had set up a tree in the attached living space, but it didn't really have an effect on my mood.

I left the Team to their Christmas rituals and locked myself away in the training room. Sweat pouring down my face and clung to my shirt in uncomfortable places, but I liked the feeling. It was that or obsessing over what Hal had said about Master Yoda.

He was alive, which lifted a huge weight off my shoulders, but his message had piled it back on. How was I supposed to get back? Was I supposed to leave Earth forever? Did he intend for me to drop everything and run or did I need to deal with Ned first?

I shut down the thoughts and turned back to the treadmill, focusing on finishing the next mile. My arms already ached from conditioning and my core throbbed from some of the exercises I'd already worked on today. When the I finished my run, I decided to call it quits.

As I left the training room, I was shocked to see Nightwing down the hall, typing away at a holo screen, completely absorbed with the content.

"Don't superheroes take holidays off?" I asked, heading toward the hub rather than the bunks.

Nightwing glanced up and smiled.

"I tracked down a lead from an informant in Bell Reve that I wanted to check out before Christmas dinner," he explained. "You're welcome to join, by the way. Bruce asked me to extend the invitation."

"Tell him thanks but no thanks. I'm not really in the Christmas spirit this year."

Nightwing shrugged, pulling an image up on the computer. It tripped something in my memory, and I stepped closer.

"What is that?"

"This?" he asked, pointing to the image of a warehouse on a pier. "The location that the prisoner in Bell Reve gave me. He said it was one of Ned's stash sites."

It was the warehouse I'd seen when meditating. I explained the vision to Nightwing, who looked at me with interest.

"Think we should raid it?" he asked. "I could call in the Team right now."

"They deserve a Christmas with their families," I said, shaking my head. "Put it off to tomorrow."

"A lot can happen in twenty-four hours," Nightwing countered.

"If you want to go now, we can go now. You call the shots."

He thought for a minute, but ultimately decided to wait until tomorrow afternoon.

"Where even is this warehouse?" I asked.

"Gotham waterfront, right by the port. It's probably one of the ways he distributes weapons. As long as he puts money in the right hands, plenty of people would look the other way while he shipped weapons. Smuggling through Gotham isn't exactly unheard of. From what we've heard from the Commissioner, there's a huge inter-agency taskforce looking into it," Dick explained.

"We won't be stepping on any toes if we go blazing in there, will we?"

"Who cares? This is Ned Engelmann. He needs to be stopped, and if we ruffle some feathers in the process, so be it."

That was the end of the conversation. I wished Nightwing a merry Christmas and retreated to my room.


	10. Chapter Ten: Worlds Collide

Nightwing was back early the next morning, and the Team was gathered around noon in the hub. The whole Team.

"We got a tip about one of Engelmann's stashes. We're going in and we're going to clean him out. We'll also be on the lookout for any information or clues as to where he might be keeping anything else, who his buyers are, and where the time machine might be," Nightwing explained. "We're going to have three squadrons. Alpha will take the north side, Beta the south, and Delta will be on perimeter. Remember, we don't know what weapons are inside. Heat signatures indicate that there are guards, and they're most likely armed, so exercise caution."

He started listing out names and squadrons. I was on Beta with Superboy, Robin, and Batgirl, and we left for the vehicle garage. My stomach twisted with nerves and doubt. What if we didn't find anything about the rest of Ned's stashes inside? What if he had already learned about the tipoff and moved everything to another location? A hundred more what ifs flashed through my mind as we climbed into the Supercycle and took off.

Flying in the daytime felt different, especially as we approached Gotham. The city looked so normal with the sun shining overhead, fresh snow blanketing the rooftops. It all hid the darkness that the city exuded.

"Two minutes out," Superboy reported.

"When we go in through the back door, we'll pair off, okay?" Batgirl said. "Robin and I will take the east side, you two take the west."

I nodded. This was just like many of the missions I'd been on before with my Master. It felt almost second nature as we touched down at the now familiar warehouse. The cloaked bioship landed on the opposite side, and Alpha and Delta squadrons disembarked. We moved into position at the back door, waiting for M'gann's signal to burst inside.

Go! she called, and Superboy punched through the door in an intense show of brute force.

As Batgirl had dictated earlier, we split, dissipating among the stacks of crates as we got the lay of the land. The warehouse was one massive room, stacked with crates in three rough rows. A catwalk crisscrossed overhead and frosty, grimy windows overhead provided some natural light that mixed with the yellowy light cast by the hanging bulbs.

I dove for cover, spotting movement in the middle of the warehouse. The man was armed, and since it was a little hard to miss the gaping hole that appeared in the back door, he was headed our way, a strange gun held in his hands. The ease at which he held it worried me. What type of weapon was it?

It turned out to be an automatic gun that shot good old fashion bullets. He spotted Superboy ducking beneath a crate and open fired, a spray off bullets peppering the room, crashing into crates and the cement floor. Other shots rang out in the warehouse as I unclasped my lightsaber from my belt and held it in my left hand.

I'll draw his fire, I offered, leaping up from my hiding spot onto a stack of sturdy wood boxes.

The blue of my lightsaber blurred as I swung it, slashing at the bullets the guard shot toward me. When the bullets met my blade, they melted, the molten liquid metal dropping down at my feet. This was enough to surprise both the guard and myself, giving Superboy the opportunity to tackle him to the ground with a gnarly crunch.

I jumped down lightly and continued down one of the messy, disorganized aisles made between the haphazardly placed crates. There was no way to see Batgirl and Robin, but there was plenty of cover, which proved useful as another guard challenged us. I ducked low beneath another hailstorm of bullets, my jaw clenching tight as they smacked into the crate I was pressed up against. All it took was one stray bullet to end my life.

When there was a break in the shooting, I jumped up and knocked a crate down on the man with the Force. Superboy and I continued down the aisle, only to be pinned down yet again. Superboy and I clambered to our feet to face the music. My lightsaber slashed through another bullet, melting it into an unrecognizable blob of molten metal that fell to the floor with a satisfying splat. As my blade twirled again, I felt a strong pain in my gut and I doubled over. It wasn't a pleasant feeling and I knew it wasn't a normal stomach pain.

"Jedi?" Superboy called. My cover was very limited and I was in danger of catching a stray bullet if I wasn't careful.

"There's a disturbance in the Force," I called back.

"Explain."

"I don't know!" I shouted, taking a huge shuttering breath.

The feeling made me queasy and my mind flashed back to the pain I'd felt when I meditated, feeling what happened during Order 66. There was something evil at work.

"Figure it out! We need to move. Now!"

I pushed away the pain and jumped to my feet, lightsaber swinging again as I plunged after Superboy. Through a gap in the crates, I caught a glimpse of Robin and Batgirl, working in perfect tandem as they battled three separate attackers armed with automatic guns.

Despite our mandated radio silence, my earpiece started beeping.

"Green Lantern to Jedi," Hal Jordan called.

"Little busy," I managed, ducking a stray bullet.

"Make yourself free. We have a situation."

I dropped down behind a crate as another spray of bullets were directed our way. Superboy seemed to be trusting his impenetrable skin.

"And I'm the only one that can deal with it? We're so close to Ned, I can feel it."

"There are reports of an unregistered ship in the atmosphere. It just appeared without warning. Guy Gardener got a good look and checked the ship model with the Green Lantern database. The design and technology are consistent with a ship from your galaxy."

That caught my attention. A cold wave of chills passed over my body as I tried to hold myself together.

"What! How?" I shouted.

That was a dumb question--we both knew Ned was involved. How else could a ship get all the way across the universe and just appear in the atmosphere here? The only answer was that it was brought in and Ned was the only one with the ability to do that.

"We don't know. Superman is coming to extract you as we speak. Batman gave orders for the Team to carry out the mission. Black Canary will be taking over for Nightwing."

"Copy," I signed off.

There's an emergency! I shouted into the mind link. Superman is extracting me. Batman wants the Team to continue the mission without me. You'll be reporting to Black Canary, not Nightwing.

What kind of emergency? Lagoon Boy demanded from the opposite end of the warehouse.

An intergalactic one. There's been a disturbance in the Force and now a ship the Lanterns recognized from my home galaxy has entered the atmosphere. There's trouble brewing and Ned is involved.

Be safe, M'gann told me.

I'm headed topside. I'll draw their fire in three, two, one. I said mentally. "Bye, Superboy," I called, turning and climbing the catwalk of the warehouse.

A few stray bullets grazed off the metal steps around me, but I pushed them away with the Force as I pounded up another flight of stairs, deep into the darkness of the upper stories of the warehouse until I was no longer a target. It would have been a good vantage point if there weren't more pressing issues at hand.

My comm link beeped again. "Jedi?"

"Yes, Superman?" I asked.

"Where are you?"

"In the warehouse," I replied, feet pounding against the metal grates of the catwalk.

"Where in the warehouse?"

"On the upper level."

There was a pause. "I see you. Jump out the window behind you."

My original plan had been to get on the roof. I turned and saw the window Superman was talking about. It was a translucent cream color that didn't stand a chance when I started running at it. With a flick of my wrist, the grimy glass cracked. I leapt onto the railing of the catwalk just yards from the glass pane and jumped. As I arced through the air, I tucked my arms and legs in and twisted, my shoulder and side colliding with the glass that shattered, falling onto the cement pathway outside with a crunch.

I'd only fell a few feet when a pair of arms wrapped around me, stopping my descent. Superman took to the sky and I closed my eyes. It wasn't the height that bothered me but the fact that we were moving so fast my eyes started to dry out.

"We're rendezvousing with Batman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Nightwing in a Javelin over the Midwest. That's where the ship seems to be heading."

"It's probably heading toward me. I felt a dark disturbance. I'll need to meditate."

"Hold on. We'll be there soon."

\----

Superman swooped through the open loading ramp of the Javelin ships, depositing me inside. Martian Manhunter was at the controls and everyone else gathered around a monitor.

"Sit rep?" I asked, sliding up beside them.

"The ship was first spotted about a half hour ago. It was first picked up on radar on the west coast and started heading toward the east coast," Batman reported in his gravely superhero voice. I had been on the east coast.

"Did you guys get a visual?"

"Not yet."

"Any idea how big it is?"

"It seems to be very small but we aren't sure. Guy was the one that registered the report and his details were spotty at best."

They weren't being very helpful.

"I need some peace and quiet," I said, sitting down in the middle of the ship, folding my legs under me and resting my hands on my knees.

I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths to quell the adrenaline that was coursing through my system. The worst thing I could do now was plunge in blindly. So I breathed in and out and in and out until I could locate the disturbance. I focused on it, letting the dark feeling become the only thing I could feel.

My eyes flew open.

"Whatever it is, they know I'm here," I told them. "They're closing in and closing in fast."

Batman and Nightwing immediately started arguing strategy but I shut them down fast.

"We have no idea what we're facing but I can guarantee the ship is more equipped than we are. They have shields designed for blaster fire that can also deflect asteroids, so any power in Javelin will be useless. I can also guarantee that I'm the only target, so here's what we're going to do," I said in my most commanding voice. They forgot but I'd been trained in tactics and strategy, too. My goal was to minimize damage and only put myself on the line. "You're going to put me on the ground in an isolated space away from civilization. You guys will back off and let me deal with whoever it is and draw them out. If I fail, rain hellfire upon them while they're exposed until they're demolished and destroy the ship--it'll have a tracking beacon."

Batman and Nightwing exchanged looks. They seemed to have their own silent language.

"What's your definition of dealing with it?" Batman asked.

"I'm going to kill them," I said bluntly, my voice honest and void of emotion. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Actually, I do," Batman started.

"Let me explain something to you, Batman. Whoever is in that ship is an agent of the Dark Side of the Force. They work for the man that sent out the order to destroy the Jedi. That man killed everyone I knew and instigated a war that killed and displaced billions of innocent citizens across my galaxy. Who knows what he's done to the rest of the galaxy since I escaped. The only reason this person was sent here was to kill me. So I'm going to kill them first. Do you still have a problem with it?"

There was a long pause as the Leaguers and Nightwing exchanged looks.

"I don't need your permission," I said, turning to the still open ramp.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Chelsey," Batman said harshly. "Not everything is about you. Sit down."

I clenched my jaw and reluctantly sank down on a canvas seat.

"The ship is moving in fast," Nightwing reported, checking the radar.

"Superman, locate a safe spot," Batman ordered.

The Man of Steel stepped out of the Javelin and flew up to get a better look around. After a minute, he chose a spot. Green Lantern took over the controls as Martian Manhunter stepped out, flying to intercept the ship. He established a strong mind connection between us.

"Touch down here," Superman said.

Green Lantern maneuvered the ship around, landing on a somewhat flat area. The space was covered in long, coarse grass that rippled gently in the wind.

I have a visual on the space craft, Martian Manhunter reported. An imaged flashed in my mind.

That's a TIE Avenger. It was just coming into production when I left. It was designed to be used by military officials. This one has a one man crew and is equipped with a lightspeed hyperdrive, protective shields, and guns, I rattled off.

A one man crew was a good sign but also concerning. They were very strong with the Force.

"The TIE is closing in. It'll be here soon," Nightwing called.

"I'm going out there," I said. "They're after me but they are equipped with blasters. It would be foolish to assume that our technology is compatible--especially when it comes to blasters--so be careful. Do not hesitate to leave me behind if other people are in danger. Understand?" I said, turning to Batman.

When the Dark Knight nodded, I turned and walked out the back of the jet, grasping my lightsaber in my right hand. Something told me I needed to take extra precautions and stuff as many cards up my sleeve as possible.


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Inquisitor

I had been standing in the gently swaying grass for several minutes when the TIE first appeared on the horizon. There was a tug in the pit of my stomach that started to grow as the black spaceship dipped lower and lower, eventually touching down across the field from me. I sucked in a huge breath, preparing for what was going to happen next.

The cockpit opened and I swallowed, fearing the creature that was about to step out.

It was a Blood Carver. The golden skin alone was a dead give away, but I recognized the triple jointed limbs. She wore black and gray, an outfit that was not traditional for a Blood Carver. My eyes, however, were drawn to the weapon that hung at her waist.

I knew it was a lightsaber, but I didn't like the look of the circular weapon.

What was she?

"Chessa Connal Contal," the woman said. I couldn't help but cringe at the sound of my full name. I had tried so hard to forget it.

I slipped into a language I hadn't spoken since I left home with Ned. Despite that, the words came back to me naturally.

"Lady," I replied calmly.

A sneer spread across her beakish lips.

"We've always wondered what happened to Zalz a-Bara's Padawan," the Blood Carver said. "Unfortunately for you, escape seems to have only prolonged the inevitable. You will die at the hands of the Inquisitors like the rest of them."

What is she saying? Batman demanded over the mind link, but I pushed him away.

"Cut the chatter."

I bent my right arm back, extending the laser sword behind me as I bent my knees, extending my left leg out to the side.

What are you doing? Nightwing demanded. You're left handed!

Trust me, please, I begged. This Blood Carver seems to know quite a bit about the Order and me. I'm trying to throw her off. Now get out of my head so I can focus!

The Blood Carver had called herself an Inquisitor but I didn't have much time to think through that. She grabbed the circular weapon from her belt, holding the cross piece. Two red blades expanded outward and I knew I was in for the fight of my life. I extended my left hand outward, taking up a fighting stance I wasn't used to but well versed in. Anything to throw her off.

"Interesting stance," the Inquisitor said. "According to our records, you prefer something a little more...Form V."

She knew too much for my liking but I didn't let it show. The whole point of this taunting was to throw me off.

I took a determined step forward and the Blood Carver mirrored it. When we were just a few meters apart, she took up her fighting stance. Just by the way she planted her feet and held her weapon I knew she was an expert in the art of double-bladed combat.

The Inquisitor made the first move, jumping forward and twisting in a smooth motion. My blade, still in my right hand, circled around behind me and to the right, coming up to block the red blade. There was a flash of light and a buzz as our blades collided.

A cruel grin split across the Inquisitor's face as she spun her blade, binging the other half of her sword toward me. I ducked and twisted, wary of the fact that I had exposed my back to her. It was going to be difficult to defend.

As the Inquisitor's blade continued to move, slashing and stabbing, I gave ground until I could take it no longer. I feinted a block and collapsed my blade. The Inquisitor, expecting to meet the resistance of my sword, was thrown completely off balance as I rolled through the long grass behind her, switching my lightsaber to my left hand.

The blade sprung free as I launched myself into the air in a powerful jump, bringing my blade down with as much force as I could muster, a strained shout escaping my lips at the effort. Somehow the Inquisitor managed to turn and thrust her lightsaber out to block. My body arched away from the blade as my downward stroke made contact with the circular handle of her blade. It severed part of the circle but not the part where the emitter and power cell were located.

I withdrew and stood in the ready position, wind whipping around me.

Slashing the Inquisitor's lightsaber seemed to only enrage her. Unfortunately she had a good handle on her emotions and when she moved forward in another attack, she was calm. Our blades connected in a series of rapid movements. I had to move twice as fast as her to block both sides of her sword and it was taking it's toll. Physically I wasn't prepared.

After another attack, I rolled to the side, getting as much distance between the two of us as possible. As I rose to my knees, I focused my mind, willing the Force to intervene and slow her down. It wasn't as effective as I was hoping and she closed the gap between us before I could rise to my feet fully. I tried to block her overhand strike, which brought me straight back down onto the ground. I twisted on my knees, sliding out of the way as I rose to my feet, my blade snaking out to try and snag her side.

I missed.

She struck out again but I dodged. There was a slight casualty of the action. Her blade sliced off the end of one of my braids. The stench of burnt hair filled the air as the remainder of my right braid began to unravel.

That was the last straw.

I knew I was losing and I couldn't last much longer so I threw caution to the wind and embraced the anger that was building inside of me. Anger about Order 66, the rise of the Galactic Empire, the deaths of my mentors and friends and the only peacekeepers the galaxy had ever had surged through me and I charged full on at the Inquisitor. Using the last of my energy, I attacked her with a series of rapid slashes and thrusts, breaking through her defense enough to make contact with her dominant hand and slit the arm of her shirt open. Her wounds were cauterized by my blade before they could weep orange blood, but it still felt like a victory. A victory that spurred me on.

As I continued to smash through her defense, the Inquisitor managed to cut my arm and side, but the injuries were superficial. A sudden reversal of my blade was the undoing of her defense. Combined with a Force attack that stayed her blade, I managed to slice through the handle completely, cutting her hand off at the wrist. The remnants of the blade and her severed appendage dropped to the ground as my blade twisted in my hand so it was no longer reversed.

I looked the Inquisitor right in the eye as I drove my blade through her chest. Just to be safe, I withdrew the blade and before her body could slump down to the ground, and sliced her head off. It landed on the ground with a grisly thump and rolled a half rotation.

There was a scuffle behind me as the Leaguers and Nightwing disembarked the Javelin. Ignoring their rapid approach, I stooped down and picked up the halves of her lightsaber, careful of the heated edges. I pried the halves open and retrieved the synthetic red crystals that had been stored inside, pocketing the rest of the weapon.

"Chelsey, are you alright?" Green Lantern asked, rushing to my side.

While I remained silent, he looked over my wounds, which had cauterized. There was still a little bit of adrenaline in my system that took the edge off the sting, but I knew they were ache later, especially without the medical treatment I was used to with the Jedi Order.

I turned around to face the others and saw them staring at the body of the Inquisitor, mild looks of disgust and horror plastered to their faces. Not only had I killed her without remorse, I hadn't even given her a chance to surrender. They didn't understand that things worked differently when it came to Sith warriors. Her connection to the Dark Side of the Force had been strong and because of that she deserved to die for the crimes she'd committed against the Jedi.

"What should we do with her body?" I asked.

We couldn't leave it. If it was found, there would be a huge scandal because it was clear she wasn't human.

"I'll bring it to the Watchtower for incineration," Green Lantern said.

He used his ring to form a green bubble around the corpse before flying off. That left us with one other issue.

"I can pilot the Avenger," I said. "Where do you want me to store it?"

Batman gave me a long, hard, withering stare. He didn't approve of my actions one bit, but I honestly didn't care. He knew nothing of my galaxy and didn't realize the favor I'd just done him.

"Take it back to the Cave," Batman said. "But be discrete."

"Don't worry about it. I'll leave the atmosphere and come in from the water side of Mount Justice," I assured them. I turned to head toward the TIE but it felt like I needed to say something else to them. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but I did what I thought I had to do. This Blood Carver hinted that there were other Inquisitors like her and that their purpose is to track down and destroying the remaining Jedi. They're killing good people and I couldn't let that continue. It was my life or hers."

Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Nightwing were silent so I turned and trudged toward the ship. The long blades of glass snagged my boots and the material of my pants. The TIE had flattened out an area of the grass. I jumped up and climbed into the cockpit. Before settling myself in the pilot's seat, I crawled around under the dash in search of something important. There was a locator beacon that I disabled and smashed for good measure. The last thing we needed were more Inquisitors on Earth. I'd barely survived a fight with one of them.

As I sat down in the seat, something wedged between the dash and the window caught my eye, reflecting off the window of the cockpit. It was a lightsaber. I recognized the style and the deviations.

I had know the owner.

Bile rose in my throat as I realized the Inquisitor must have killed one of the younglings that had escaped Order 66. How many others had she killed? Were there any left?

When I reached out and touched it, a strong Force echo invaded my vision. Through a watery blue lens I saw my friend in a desperate battle for their life, only to be slaughtered by the Inquisitor. Her lightsaber sliced open their stomach then buried itself in their heart.

I shook off the blue tinge and braced my arms against the dashboard, pushing my head down to steady my stomach. A wave of nausea overcame me, but I battled through it, forcing myself to sit up and snap to.

The Javelin took off and disappeared into the sky but I couldn't bring myself to start the TIE Avenger. I slumped over in the seat and tears rolled down my cheeks as sobs wracked my body. How much damage had the Jedi Order sustained? Were there any Knights left?

\----

Flying again felt natural. It was like riding a bike. The motions were automatic as I started the engine and lifted off the ground. I steadily rose higher and higher over the field where I'd fought the Inquisitor. The only evidence were a few charred pieces of grass--and a chunk of my hair that I couldn't see.

I flew straight up, breaking through the layers of the atmosphere until I was in space. I cut through the sky, making for the Atlantic Ocean beyond the east coast. Then I started to descend, breaking through the atmosphere then the cloud barrier. Night had come here and in the cloak of darkness I flew toward Happy Harbor.

"Jedi to Cave, come in Cave," I said into my ear piece.

"Mal here, what do you need, Jedi?"

"Open the docking bay," I requested, the mountain appearing on the horizon.

Mal complied and I maneuvered the TIE inside, touching down beside the bioship. As I hopped out, the found lightsaber, pieces of the monstrosity the Inquisitor had carried, and synthetic kyber crystals in hand, I was met with a group of confused onlookers. The Team had returned from the mission with quite a few bumps and bruises but they were much more interested in alien ship than recounting what had happened after I left the warehouse.

"What is that?" Beast Boy demanded.

"A TIE class fighter."

"Noted," he said, taking a curious step forward.

"Don't touch. I need a shower and a hair cut," I said, brushing past them.

"Are you okay, Chelsey?" M'gann asked, touching my shoulder gently.

I shrugged her hand off and continued on my path toward my room. "Ask Batman. He seems to be the final authority on everything."

No one followed me into my room, which was a relief. I locked the door and slumped down on the bed, looking at the crystals in my hand and the lightsaber that my friend had made beside me all those years ago. I pressed the button and was surprised when nothing happened. Where was the blade?

I dropped to the floor, my weariness temporarily forgotten as I disassembled the lightsaber, searching for the root of the problem. It was quite obvious when the parts were suspended in a string.

There was no kyber crystal.

I took a closer look at the two crystals I'd salvaged from the Inquisitor's blade.

They weren't synthetic.

I'd heard that some Sith believed that to create their own lightsabers they needed to bleed the Light Side of the Force from Jedi's kyber crystals. The thought that the Inquisitor had killed two Jedi to create her blade made me sick.

I discarded the lightsaber pieces and stood at the mirror with my lightsaber. My hair was completely lopsided from where the Inquisitor had sliced off my braid. After a few adjustments, I sliced off half of the other braid and compared the two. It was close enough, I thought as I stripped down, wrapping myself in a towel. No one bothered me as I trudged toward the showers. The water was refreshing, but it stung against my wounds. They would heal in time--they weren't my only lightsaber scars--but I didn't have the supplies I would usually have after a fight. Earthly medical supplies were going to have to do the trick.

As the hot water poured over me, I had a hard time keeping my emotions in check. Somehow I made it out of the shower feeling clean and fresh. As I stepped out of the locker room wrapped in my towel, I bumped into a very stoic Nightwing. I wondered if he knew how much he looked like Batman.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a very neutral tone.

"Fine," I replied but it was clear I wasn't.

I tried pushing past him, but Nightwing stuck out an arm to stop me.

"Are you upset about killing the Blood Carver? Because I think that was justified."

It was nice to see that someone agreed with me.

"No. I took her lightsaber and realized that to make it she killed two Jedi, took their lightsabers, and perverted their kyber crystals. One of them belonged to someone I trained closely with at the Temple."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nightwing said.

"I'll see what I can do about it tomorrow. I need to sleep."

"What about your arm and your side? Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll heal," I said with a nod. "If you'll excuse me."

I stepped past his outstretched arm and locked myself in my room. I pulled on a pair of pajamas and collapsed in bed, exhaustion taking over my sore body.


	12. Chapter Twelve: The Black Blade and the Holocron

I skipped breakfast and training and kept to myself in the morning. I didn't even leave the room. I just sat on the edge of my bed, looking at the remains of the lightsaber and the two crystals.

I scooched off the bed and sat in the middle of the room, legs tucked underneath me, back straight, hands palm up on my knees. Meditation was now part of my daily routine. It reminded me of my training, of the words my masters had told me, of patience. My mind was sharp again and my connection with the Force was strong--stronger than it had ever been before.

The kyber crystals were clutched in my left hand. I reached out to the Force for knowledge. There had to be a way to heal the crystals, to purge them of the Dark Side that corrupted them. The Force fed me the knowledge I needed.

To bleed a lightsaber, a Sith put flooded it with anger, hate, fear, and pain. To purge it, I would have to do the opposite.

Placing one of the crystals aside, I took the other one in my hand and clenched it tightly, swallowing the lump in my throat that had formed when thinking about the damage the crystal had endured in the hands of the Inquisitor. Just holding it filled me with negative emotions, but I pushed them away, focusing on positive thoughts that would reverse the effects of the crystal. Peace, happiness, love, compassion.

Something nagged at me and a vision appeared, followed with a flood of emotions. Horrible, corrupting emotions. My mind flashed back to yesterday afternoon and my fight with the Inquisitor. The battle had been driven by anger. Pure, burning anger at the Inquisitors and cold-blooded execution of the Jedi. That same anger from the battlefield started to work against the emotions I was focusing on.

The crystal was fighting back.

Another vision appeared. I was in the transport ship the day Order 66 went out. A cold spear of dread pierced my heart as the first two clones turned on me. As they drew their blasters, I backed away, bumping into the side of the ship. In that moment, I was overcome with fear. I thought I was going to die at the hands of my own brother in arms. They continued toward me, switching off stun. The barrels were pointed directly at me and I didn't understand what was happening.

"No!" I shouted, fighting off the fear.

I pictured Ned, the day we first met. He was my salvation, my savior. He reached out his hand and he saved me. He made me happy again.

Bruce Wayne was Batman. That night on the rooftop of the Exchange Building, we'd formed a bond of trust and understanding. I envisioned that night and the feeling of relief I felt when I realized Batman was my ally--my friend.

"Chelsey!" someone shouted, shaking my shoulders.

My meditative state dissolved and I found myself face to face with Dick. He was bent on one knee in front of me, fingers digging into my shoulders as he shook me back to the present

"You were crying out," he said as I looked around, getting my bearings. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

"I was healing the crystal, but it was fighting me. Fighting the Light," I said. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"That I didn't fight back hard enough."

I unclasped my hand and looked down.

The crystal was black. Darker than the vacuum of space.

My stomach twisted in knots at the sight of it. Every Jedi new that black was the color of self-obsession. Pre Vizsla proved that with his Darksaber, and that blade had claimed far too many lives for selfish reasons.

How had I created something like this?

I dry-heaved and Nightwing pivoted to the side, placing a hand on my back, clearly confused by the entire situation. My hand clenched the crystal and I drew my arm back to chuck it across the room, but I stopped myself. I stopped the anger and took a huge, cleansing breath.

"Chelsey?" Dick asked gently as the first tear traced its way down my cheek.

He pulled me closer and put his arms around me, pressing my cheek into his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his waist as if he was the only thing in the universe keeping me upright and cried until there was a sizable stain on his suit--which was an accomplishment because it was water resistant. When I finally finished sobbing and my body was no longer shaking, I sat up and dried my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt.

Nightwing had been so patient with me. He didn't even press me for details, he just waited until I was ready to share.

I uncurled my fist, revealing the black crystal. I suppose it was a step up from red, but the implications...they hurt. They hurt so much.

Dick took the crystal from my hand and examined it. It was no bigger than the size of a pen cap, but it was a powerful crystal none the less. I watched him turn it in his fingers, examining it from every angle. Then he passed it back to me, not completely sure what was wrong.

"I took it from the Inquisitor. She took it from a Jedi and infused it with anger and hate and fear. I was trying to do the opposite," I said, sniffling slightly. "I just...where did I go wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Chelsey, but I don't fully understand."

"Blue and green are typical Jedi lightsaber colors," I explained, motioning to my own blue lightsaber. "Temple guards usually have yellow blades and it's not uncommon to see a white or gray one. Master Mace Windew even had a purple one," I explained. "But black? There's only ever been one black blade, and it belonged to Pre Vizsla, a very selfish Jedi that didn't last in the Order. Some call it a cursed blade because it's taken so many lives.

"But a black blade? How can...what does it say about me?"

I wasn't expecting an answer and Dick didn't really give me one. How could he? He barely knew anything about the Jedi Order.

"Come on," Nightwing said, drawing me to my feet. "You haven't eaten yet, have you."

Reluctantly, I followed Dick out of my room through to the kitchen, dabbing at my eyes with the edge of my sleeve. He sat me down at the counter and got to work in the kitchen. Within ten minutes, he'd whipped up an amazing omelet complete with a side of bacon and fresh cut melon. Apparently everyone at the Cave knew how to cook well because that was one of the best meals I'd had in a long time.

Well, the food was good. The company not so much. Nightwing stood by the fridge, arms crossed, scrutinizing every movement I made. Finally, when I was skewering the last piece of omelet, he decided to speak.

"How are your wounds?"

I'd been so wrapped up in the kyber crystals I'd completely forgotten. The instantaneous cauterization was a blessing in some ways. However, without the supplies I was used to after a lightsaber duel, they would take much longer to heal. Earthly medical technology was lacking in many aspects compared to what the Republic had accomplished.

"They'll heal in time," I said, sparking an idea. "Actually..."

Cramming the last pieces of melon into my mouth, I hopped off my stool, shoved my dishes in the dishwasher, and started down the hall, Nightwing trailing behind, definitely interested in what I was going on about. We emerged in the garage. Seeing a TIE-class starship on Earth was still confusing, but it was a portal of sorts back to the Galactic Republic. Well, the Galactic Empire, more accurately.

"Are we going somewhere?" Dick asked as I scrambled up the side of the ship.

"Nope!" I called, reaching the top.

I glanced down at Dick, who was hesitant. But when he saw me looking, he reached up and started climbing. The hatch to the cockpit opened easily and I dropped down inside.

The cockpit was tiny. This fighter was clearly designed for one person, which meant every switch had to be in reach of the pilot. That lead to some cleaver use of space, but overall, the area was cramped. That just affirmed the fact that Ned had brought the Inquisitor to Earth. There was no way she could have flown across the universe. To do that, she would have had to have access to accurate scans of the galaxies between my home and the Milky Way--which was beyond doubtful without the aid of the Lantern Corp--and fuel. A lot of fuel.

I rooted around under the seat and dashboard, looking for storage spaces. Dick poked his head through the hatch and I plastered myself to one of the chair arms so he could squeeze inside. He sort of took up half the pilot's chair while I twisted around on the other half, only one hip and one buttock on the actual seat.

"Interesting," he said, looking down at the controls. They were marked with text he couldn't understand. "How does it work?"

"Well, I'm no expert in TIE class fighters. They were just coming into production when I was at the Temple and we flew Deltas or the transports that the troops were shuttled around in. But the principle is the same in most of the tech produced by the Republic. We have the shields, the radar, the weaponry, the lightspeed engine," I said, pointing to different things on the dashboard. "I already disabled the low-jack, but I'm looking for something else."

My hand felt along the edge of the chair until it found something. A small metal case.

"Aha!" I exclaimed, pulling out the first aid kit. "We always relied on medical droids, but this should prove enough for me."

I flipped open the lid and considered the components. Sure enough, it was a kit designed specifically for Force wielders, plus a few bonuses. The most exciting being a tool for adjusting my bionic finger. It hadn't been working completely right since the training incident and needed a few adjustments.

"Droids?"

"Oh, yeah. They preformed every task imaginable. Protocol droids served as translators, there were medical droids instead of doctors, garbage compactor droids, astromec droids. I worked closest with those. They flew with us, helped pilot the ships, made repairs. We also used them to carry information, hack systems, spy," I added, recalling a particular mission with Master a-Bara on a Separatist-run planet.

As I talked, I continued to feel around the ship, sensing something else. I found an additional set of clothes that belonged to the Blood Carver, some tools and spare parts for the ship, several days worth of food provisions, and a large purse of Credits, but I could feel something else. Sense it.

It was dark.

"I think we're sitting on something," I realized.

Headspace wasn't phenomenal inside the cockpit, but we stood best we could in the limited space and I pried up the seat cushion. Sure enough, there was a hidden compartment. And in the compartment was something I never expected to find, especially on Earth.

A Sith holocron.

"What is that?" Dick demanded as I drew out the pyramidal object. It was about six inches tall with glowing red sides and gold trim and details.

A string of swearwords slipped out as I dropped the holocron as if it was burning hot. Nightwing cast me a concerned glance and leaned down to pick it up, but I grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him away.

"Don't," I said, my tone a little more stern than intended.

Just holding the holocron had made me nauseous. The dark energy flowing off it was sickening and nearly tangible. Who knew what secrets it contained and what could happen if someone innocent to the ways of the Light and Dark sides touched it.

Nightwing seemed to pick up on the terror that gripped my body.

"Chelsey?"

"Leave it," I decided, taking the medical kit with me as I scrambled out of the cockpit. Suddenly, the cramped interior felt like it was closing in and there was no space left to breathe.

I sat atop the TIE Avenger, my legs dangling over the side. Dick hauled himself up next to me and sat down, his gaze wandering through the garaged, past the bioship, and down to the part of Mount Justice that was submerged under the blue-green water of Happy Harbor. The rhythmic sound of water lapping against the interior structures of the garage was soothing and helped clear my mind of both the lingering thoughts of the black crystal and the new threat of the Sith holocron.

"What was that?" Dick pried after a few beats passed.

"It's called a holocron," I explained, my tone dark. "Jedi and Sith both use them to store sensitive information. In the Temple, they were under lock and key and only a select few could view them. Only Force-wielders can open them."

"So you can open that holocron?"

I shook my head violently.

"No," I said sharply. "That's a Sith holocron, and to open it, I would have to drawn on the Dark Side of the Force. I won't even attempt it," I said adamantly.

"It could have information about what happened after Order 66," Dick pointed out.

That was entirely possible, but I wasn't willing to find out. The price was too high, and I wasn't going to give ground on my morals again. Not after I made the black kyber crystal. My connection to the Light Side was already fading and I needed to get it back.

"I'm more worried about what happens when the Inquisitor fails to return with the holocron," I said.

The thought was sobering, a possibility neither of us had been willing to entertain before. But what if they Inquisitors grew angry and arrived in full force? How was I supposed to fend off more of them?

"You think more of them will come here?" he asked.

"It's possible, especially with Ned still out there. We need to stop him, but we can't destroy that machine. I need to get back home. Green Lantern told me something, and I have to see it through."

"What did he tell you?" Nightwing asked when I failed to provide more details.

"My destiny. I need to find Master Yoda so he can finish my training."

"Then let's make that happen."

I didn't know what I expected him to say, but it wasn't that. Surprised, I looked over at Nightwing, who gave me a reassuring nod. He said something about going to see Batman before sliding off the edge of the TIE Avenger, landing lightly on the ground. I glanced back at the hatch and the vile object that lay beneath and eased the round door shut. Nightwing was waiting for me below and after a moment of hesitation, I jumped down next to him.

"Batman's back at the Batcave. We can go see him right now," Nightwing offered.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Echoes of the Past

A trip to the Batcave seemed like the best course of action. After a quick stop at my room, where I changed into what had become my unofficial uniform and grabbed the tools to fix finger, we stepped through the zeta tubes, back into the Batcave. I stumbled forward, blinking the blinding white light out of my eyes, taking in my surroundings. Bruce was seated at the computer, his back to us, and Batgirl and Robin were doing hand to hand combat training on the lower level.

Nightwing led the way up the metal stairs to stand beside Batman at the computer. I trailed behind, leaning up against the railing where I could watch Robin and Batgirl. Their different styles were intriguing, and I found myself leaning closer so I could catch the finer details of their stances and movements.

"Bruce, we need to talk," Nightwing said. I turned away from the fight and I crossed my arms over my chest. "It's about what happened yesterday. We have reason to believe that we might be in danger of further attacks from the Inquisitors."

Bruce spun around in his chair. He wasn't in his cape and cowl, but a black suit with a red and white polka dot tie. He looked at me and I looked at him, a very dark expression on my face.

"Where would you like to talk?" he asked.

"Wherever," I replied with a shrug. "Here's fine."

Nightwing and Batman looked to me. I twisted and sat on the railing of the platform we were on, hooking my feet on the support beam that ran parallel to the ground. It would be rather awkward if I fell backward. As I formed the words, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the long, thin tools that I'd scavenged from the medical kit.

"I found something in the TIE Avenger," I said slowly, feeling around my finger with one of the tools until I located the service panel, which I pried open. "It's a Sith holocron. I don't know exactly what's on it, but they're going to want it back. Based on the fuel levels in the ship, it couldn't have flown here, which means that Ned created a portal or something, hoping that the Sith would kill me. Knowing Ned, he struck some sort of bargain," I explained. As I talked, I used the second tool to prod at the servos and components in my finger, causing it to twitch and bend. "He probably exchanged a trip across the universe and a shot at killing a surviving Jedi for weapons and tech. If the Inquisitor doesn't get back, he'll know that I killed her, and I'm willing to bet that he'll bring more of them back to Earth to ensure that I am dead. They'll be less worried about killing me and more worried about recovering the holocron, which they will be able to sense. There's no point in launching it into deep space, because they'll recover it and they'll still come after me. So we need to get our hands on the machine first, so I can go back to my home, dispose of the holocron, and complete my training."

One of the components didn't respond as I prodded at it. It was the one causing my problems.

"So what are you saying?" Batman said.

"We need to be prepared for a worst case scenario, and we need a really good idea to either track down the Light or just Ned as soon as possible," I clarified, jiggling the mechanism around, hoping it would click back into place. "Damnit," I hissed, trying again.

"We have an ear to the ground for anything Ned or Light related, but we've gotten nowhere. The Bell Reve informant and that warehouse the Team raided yesterday was the best lead we had," Batman explained.

"What was recovered from the warehouse?" I asked. I'd been so caught up with the Inquisitor I'd failed to follow up with what happened.

Batman twisted back to his computer and, after a minute, had several photos on display. There were crates and crates of weapons and devices.

"This was what was recovered. Three hundred and seventeen boxes. We've linked them to Colonel Future and Abra Kadabra and a few other instances, but it appears that Ned has been waiting for the right buyers," Batman explained. "There wasn't much else in the warehouse besides this."

I nodded, my finger forgotten as I schemed.

"Where are they now?" I asked, twirling one of the long, thin metal tools between the fingers of my right hand.

"A League safehouse," Batman replied.

"I'd like to go see the warehouse again and then the weapons," I decided. Maybe I could sense a Force echo that would give us more information on Ned's whereabouts. Something in one of the photos caught my eye. "Can you zoom in on the middle right photo? The upper left corner."

Batman clicked some buttons on the computer, enlarging the image and the specific spot I was looking at. My heart sank at the familiar sight of blasters.

"Those are Galactic Republic standard issue military blasters. Ned made some sort of deal with the Sith and he got weapons for payment," I said. Batman flipped through a few more photos, showing the crate in question in more detail. There were two other crates with similar weapons. "I was only worth three crates? That hurts."

Both Nightwing and Batman ignored the comment.

"Come on. Let's go check out the warehouse while we're in Gotham. Then we can go look at the cache," Nightwing said.

I followed him down the stairs towards the vehicles. While he grabbed helmets and keys, I made a final adjustment to my finger, flexing it experimentally. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than it had been earlier. I tucked the tools away and slid on the helmet Nightwing offered.

"Do you know how to ride?" he asked.

"I dirt bike," I said defensively, tugging on the unfamiliar black helmet. Nightwing threw a set of keys to me, which I caught smoothly, swinging my leg up and over one of the bikes. "After you."

The bikes revved to live, filling the Batcave with the obnoxious whines of engines. Nightwing glanced over at me and I nodded before he accelerated out of the cave. I followed in the wake of screeching tires and burnt rubber, unsure of what lay ahead. We followed a rocky tunnel that was wide enough to accommodate the Batmobile. The pathway was uneven and there were loose rocks along the way, but I managed to keep pace with Nightwing, who had no-doubt traveled through here hundreds of times. Maybe it was a combination of the Force and my skills as a pilot that allowed me to make it through the cave system unscathed.

"Slight jump!" Nightwing shouted as the natural light seeped through the opening, the angle of the road angling up slightly.

I trusted my instincts, revving the engine and following Nightwing up and over, the wheels of the bike leaving the ground for a few seconds as I arced between the secret entrance of the cave and what turned out to be a poorly paved service road. My stomach fluttered for the few seconds that I was in the air, a familiar and welcome feeling that took me back to my days of training. But I didn't have time to reminisce because Nightwing was speeding down the road ahead of me, presumably toward the city. I followed, decelerating behind him as we reached the main road.

"Hanging in there?" he called.

I flashed him a thumbs up and when there was a gap in traffic, we pulled onto the highway, headed toward Gotham.

Riding with the wind whipping past me was cathartic. The road conditions were a little sketchy, any trace of snow covered with sand for traction against potential black ice. Nightwing and I rode side by side in the middle of three lanes headed southbound, kicking up a spray of gray slush.

Having spent nearly two years in the city for school, I was fairly confident with my navigational abilities. Nightwing pulled ahead slightly as we reached the clogged and confusing roads of the main city, but we rode the lines and wove between vehicles until we were down on the waterfront, approaching a familiar warehouse sporting a tarped window that had been caused by a certain Force wielder.

We pulled to a halt outside the back door that was crisscrossed with yellow tape. I switched off the bike and kicked my leg over, tugging my helmet off. Nightwing was a step ahead of me, approaching the door of the warehouse. He reached under the tape and unlocked the door, shoving it open. I ducked under the tape and stepped inside.

The warehouse was dark and nearly empty. Every single box had been cleared out, revealing a stained concrete floor marred with chips and cracks. There was a faint sent of oil on the air that mixed with the rancid harbor smell.

"Quite the place," I muttered sarcastically, my voice sounding much louder in the cavernous space.

"What are we here for?" Nightwing asked.

"An echo of the past."

I started across the warehouse, finding a spot in the center that was bathed in pale light from the overhead skylight. I was drawn there and turned fully around, taking in the details of the room.

Where would Ned have stood? What would he have touched? Where could I find a connection?

If I was Ned, what would I do?

In a trance of sorts, I cut across the warehouse back to the door and walked the exterior. The warehouse was nestled between other equally worn down buildings. I could hear the clink of a weather buoy out on the water, squawking seagulls, and the motor of a truck idling near by.

I put myself in Ned's shoes.

I would park behind the warehouse. I would want to remain unobvious. I would enter through the side door in the dark space between buildings to avoid prying eyes.

I followed the pathway around the building and located a nondescript metal door with a weathered industrial handle. Using the Force, I tripped the tumblers and unlocked it. Tentatively, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the curving piece of metal. The second my skin made contact, I was sucked into a Force echo.

Blue tinged my vision as I tugged at the door, swinging it open. In my minds eye, the warehouse was still stacked with boxes. Men in black, semi-autos slung across their chests, were sorting through the crates, assembling weapons and nailing labels to the outsides. Sounds of the past met my ears. Hammers smashing nails, wood scraping against concrete, the clink of metal on metal.

The images disappeared and when the pale blue light faded, I was nearly face to face with a concerned Nightwing.

"Anything?" he asked.

"I just felt an echo, but it was nothing important," I replied, stepping through the door, attempting to sink back into Ned's mind.

I would walk into the warehouse. I would survey the workers. I would want to watch from high ground. I would want to supervise every detail of the work.

My feet carried me up the catwalk where I'd previously fled. Bullet wounds from the fire fight bit deep into the metal grating, but I ignored them, running my right hand along the metal railing as I pounded up the steps. The catwalk ringed the room and broke the space into six grid squares. In one corner, I spotted a small office. Something drew me closer, and I let the palm of my hand drag along the uneven surface of the railing as I approached, the next echo creeping up unexpectedly, enveloping me in a watery blue blur as I looked down at the floor of the warehouse. Crates appeared as I turned my head and twisted, wrapping both hands around the metal for extra support.

The blue-black shadow of someone stepped closer beside me. His features were indistinct in the flashback and I latched on to the sound of his voice. Something about it was familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"What was the latest haul?"

"Six crates. It should be more than enough for the Light's plans," Ned's voice replied. It seemed to emanate from where I was standing. "I've been sitting on some tech from the twenty-fourth century that might be of interest as well."

"Holding out on us, Engelmann?" the other man said jokingly, letting out a light laugh that made my skin crawl.

"If I told you all my secrets, you might not have a use for me."

The blue subsided again, and I was back in the warehouse, cold metal biting into the flesh of my palms, I was gripping the railing so tightly. I let out a shuttering breath and continued toward the office. Someone--the League, most likely--had left the tiny room unlocked. I opened the door and felt around for a light switch, illuminating bright white LED tubes suspended from ceiling in an industrial fixture coated in dusty and grease.

The room smelled metallic and damp. There was a single metal desk bolted into the floor up against the wall facing the floor of the warehouse which was visible through two massive windows. The office was only six or so paces long and half that across.

If I was Ned...

I would watch the workers. I would stand where I could see them.

I rested my hands on the edge of the desk and leaned forward into the pale blue vision. The voice was there again, the shadowy figure at my elbow.

"Engelmann, Klarion sent word. The meet is on," the man said.

"Bring the truck around and load up the crates from 2816," Ned decided.

The shadow disappeared and I felt compelled to turn toward the far wall. Ned stepped forward like a spirit separating itself from my body and pressed a section of the footboard with his toe and an entire panel of the wall shifted, swinging open. Beyond was a safe that Ned started fiddling with. I drifted forward, still in a dream-like state and peered over his shoulder as Ned twisted the dial. 18-06-83.

I shook off the echo and stepped forward, feeling along the ground with my toe until there was a dull click and the wall panel slid free with a slight groan.

"Look at you!" Nightwing commented from the door, catching me off guard. I'd been too caught up in the echo to feel his presence.

"Watch this," I said smugly, spinning the dial of the safe. It popped open after a few more twists. "Tada!"

My victory cry was cut short as I reached my hand in and touched the interior of the safe. It was the strongest echo I'd had yet as my fingers brushed a file full of papers and I was simultaneously sucked into an echo and a vision. Through the filter of the Force echo, I saw another building in my mind, frozen like a snapshot. It was only three stories tall, somewhat rundown with a faded red awning on the street level and a faded sign on the window.

A word seemed to pulse through my head, repeated over and over in Ned's voice.

"Safehouse."

I withdrew my hand and reeled backward, careening into an eager Nightwing who had no idea what was going on. My head was spinning and a wave of cold spread over my body, causing goosebumps to rise along my arms. Nightwing was so intrigued by the hidden wall safe that he stepped past and started pulling out the remaining contents: the folder that caused the most recent echo.

"Pen. Got a pen and paper?" I demanded frantically, the image of the safehouse still fresh in my head.

"Um..." Nightwing shuffled through the papers and handed me the manila folder they'd been stored in, which was unmarked. "There's no pen."

I looked around the office, squatting down and hunting the warped floorboards. Underneath the desk, wedged against the wall, I spotted a broken no. 2 pencil. It shot through the air toward my extended hand and I was back on my feet in seconds, hunched over the desk with the folder as I drew furiously.

Art was certainly not my strong suit, but the likeness between the image in my head and what ended up on the paper was striking, if not a little disproportionate. I shrugged slightly because it still got the point across.

"This is it. This is Ned's safehouse," I declared, stepping back to admire my handiwork. I also dropped the disgusting pencil, which rolled across the surface of the desk for several rotations before coming to a halt.

"How do you know?" Nightwing asked, peering at the drawing curiously.

"I saw the past and then the Force showed me this. It's got to be his safehouse, but this was all I could sense. Maybe if I meditate, but I'm not one hundred percent sure what I'll come up with."

Nightwing set down the papers, which he'd scanned thoroughly while I sketched, and reconsidered the drawing. He glanced at me before setting the folder down and pulling out his phone, snapping and sending it off. As he typed, he explained that Batman would start running it through a location recognizer while we headed to the nearest zeta point to travel to the location of the weapons cache. Photo sent off with instructions, we headed back out of the warehouse and locked up. Nightwing tucked the papers safely away in a storage compartment and we pulled on helmets.

"The zeta tube is in Gotham Park," he instructed, giving me a general idea of which part of the city we would be covering next.

I kicked the bike to life and waited for Nightwing. Once he was situated and saw I was rearing to go, he revved the engine and accelerated off. There was only a few feet of space between us as we tore through the waterfront district through downtown past Wayne Enterprises toward the most recognizable spots in the city. As we approached, Nightwing hopped the curb and cut between two metal posts in the ground, straight under the metal archway that marked the entrance to the park. After a second of hesitation, I followed, slowing down fractionally due to the light foot traffic and copious amounts of snow and ice that served as obstacles.

Nightwing motioned for us to follow a path downward toward a foot path that cut under a stone bridge. He fumbled with his gauntlets, activating something that triggered a section of the concrete wall supporting the footbridge to disappear. His left foot hit the ground and his bike skidded slightly as he sharply redirected it. Instinctually I copied the movement, following him into the blackness that turned to white piercing light.

"Thank you, Batman," he said, barely audible over the roar of his bike.

We were stationary on the other side of the zeta tube. I was feeling quite disoriented as I glanced around, realizing we were inside again. The walls were solid gray concrete and dozens of white lights hung down from the ceiling. I could feel the amount of dirt overhead and registered that we were in a bunker of sorts.

Nightwing killed the engine of his bike and I followed suit, swinging my leg over and yanking off my helmet. There was quite a bit of open space before the sea of crates started. I recognized them from the warehouse, some of which sported bullet trauma from the shootout the other day.

"Here you go," Nightwing said, pulling away from his bike.

He started messing with the computer built into his suit, bringing up a floating monitor. While he did his own thing, I started through the crates. They were organized in bricks--four crates tall and four crates wide. There wasn't much distinguishing them, just tiny cardstock labels with dates--the years the weapons were acquired.

I sat down randomly in one of the aisles and closed my eyes, tucking the soles of my feet together as my mind went blank. The room seemed to radiate hatred and violence, filling my system with a sense of iciness that I couldn't shake. There was one section, however, that felt worse than the others and I knew. I automatically knew.

My feet carried me through the maze of boxes until I found what I was looking for. There was probably a machine that could help me shift things around, but I reached out my hand and the boxes started moving on their own accord without much direction from myself. At least, I didn't register the command. Something inside me felt numb, and the numbness was spreading outward from my heart to my limbs and mind.

I used the Force to crack open the three crates in question and stared down at the blasters inside, neatly nestled together. My heart sagged and my stomach wheeled at the familiar sight of Galactic Empire weaponry. A little taste of home billions of lightyears away.

After gaping at them for a few fleeting moments, I reached out and grasped one of the blasters only to be rewarded with an overwhelmingly powerful echo.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: The Idea

"Chelsey?"

Nightwing had crouched down next to where I was sitting in a heap, my eyes glassy and mind spinning painfully slowly. I felt sick. Incredibly sick.

"I know what happened," I whispered. Somehow, that felt appropriate. "Ned went to the Inquisitors on Coruscant. He offered an exchange. Weapons for an opportunity to kill me. He brought the Blood Carver back with him. He's scheduled to open another portal soon."

"How soon? Because if there's no one going back to Coruscant, there could be things coming through to Earth," Nightwing reasoned, his voice low but urgent.

"I can't...I'm still processing," I said slowly. "Get M'gann. She has full permission to root around until she finds it."

He seemed hesitant, but when I couldn't form any more sentences or answer his questions, he stood up and made a call. While we waited, he cut the silence by repeatedly asking if I was sure I wanted to do this. I just nodded absently and stared at the disgusting weapons in the crate.

"Chelsey!" M'gann's voice cut through my absent wandering.

When I didn't respond, Nightwing filled her in on the situation. I barely listened. My limbs were excruciatingly heavy and it felt like I'd swallowed a fifteen pound bowling ball. M'gann asked for my consent once more and when I gave her a monosyllabic response, her eyes flashed green and I could feel a strange, unfamiliar pressure in my mind. Finally, her eyes reverted back to their usual state, although they were a little wider than usual.

"Today. We have three hours. The portal will open above the Pacific Ocean off the Canadian Coast," M'gann reported.

"We'll be there," Nightwing said determinately. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "I'll run the files to Batman at the Batcave and see what he's found about this safehouse Ned might be staying at. You get Chelsey back to the Cave and get the entire Team there. We need to strategize."

That was how I ended up back at the Cave. M'gann walked me to my room where I slumped down on the bed, holding my head in my hands as I tried to think.

The man that had saved me tried to kill me. The Galaxy that was once my home wanted to murder me. The Republic was now the Empire.

Things were so wrong and...and twisted.

I had to do something crazy and drastic.

My mind was made up the second the idea occurred to me. I stood up and found the black kyber crystal and examined the lightsaber parts I'd scavenged. I needed a diatium battery, a regulator, an emitter, and a stabilization magnet, which I pulled form the Inquisitor's blade--they were made more recently. I chose bits and pieces from the found lightsaber and the remnants of the Inquisitor's blade and cobbled them together into my second lightsaber.

I grabbed the remaining red crystal and strung it on my necklace where my kyber crystal had once hung. The darkness flowing off it was sickening, but it would make a nice distraction.

Clipping my new and old lightsaber to my belt and shrugging on my leather jacket again, I looked around at my room. There was a chance I wasn't coming back, I realized as I slipped off my domino mask and tossed it on the edge of the neatly made bed. I pulled off my watch as well and tugged my phone out of my pocket, placing these on the nightstand. With one final look over my shoulder, I exited the space and trudged down the hall.

The rest of the Team was being brief with the information we'd uncovered today and they all stopped when I entered the room. Nightwing had been talking, but his voice trailed off at the determination set on my face.

"Chelsey," he finally said. "Feeling ready?"

"Something like that," I said slowly. "Can you summon Hal Jordan? I have a plan. And, before you say anything, my mind is made up, and there is no talking me out of this."

I could immediately tell that Nightwing was ready to fight back, but he met my steely eyes and let out a sigh. He made a few calls and we stood in silence until the zeta tubes activated. Batman arrived first and the Green Lantern was a few minutes behind him. They joined the amassing group and all eyes turned to the front where Nightwing and I stood.

Nightwing filled in a few details about the intel and the meeting that was just over two hours away before turning things over to me. I glanced around, took a deep breath, and started talking fast enough that no one would interrupt and confident enough that it sounded as if I'd given this plenty of thought.

"I'm going through the portal that Ned opens." There was a stunned silence as I selected my next words and spiraled from there. "I'll have the element of surprise and since I'm in possession of the Sith holocron and a Sith kyber crystal, I'll be able to fool them long enough to actually get back to my galaxy. The ship is programmed with access codes and once I'm through and the portal is sealed, I'll adjust my course of action accordingly, but I'll bypass whatever is on the other side and head for the Colonies where I'll join the Rimma Trade Route, which goes straight past Dagobah, where Master Yoda was last seen by one Hal Jordan. The fuel reserves should get me Thyferra and then Triton, and the Inquisitor was kind enough to leave Credits behind for my use. The Force will direct me to Master Yoda and I'll complete my training and then I'll go from there. I'm not trying to dump Ned on you guys, but I know you can handle him now that I've given you the location of his safehouse and this is my only chance to complete my destiny. And I'm doing this whether you approve or not, so let's just all get on the same page, shall we?"

The voices started cutting over each other once I'd finished talking. After a few seconds of shouting, I called everyone to silence, standing as tall as I could.

"One at a time please. Batman, let's get your criticisms out of the way first, shall we?" I suggested.

The glare on his face was enough to make me glad I was leaving and possibly not returning.

"Where do I start?" he said, clearly unapproving. "How do you know Ned will open the portal without verifying your identity? How do you know that the Inquisitors won't be monitoring the other side? How do you know that the Inquisitors don't know that the Inquisitor that the sent is dead? Can't you guys feel these things through the Force?"

The last part was something I had overlooked, but what were the chances that the plan would actually work?

"It's something I'm willing to risk. I don't know how the Inquisitors are being trained, but the Sith have always had a different connection to the Force. They sense hate and anger and based on what happened and, well, the amount of the Dark Side I embraced to kill the Inquisitor, there's a chance that they didn't feel the loss. And the rest of it is something I just have to trust in. This is something I have to do. It is my destiny to return to Master Yoda. Green Lantern told me as much."

Batman shot an accusatory glare at Green Lantern, who ducked his head and studied his white boots. I half expected a row to break out, but Batman's lips remained sealed.

"Next?" I asked, scanning back and forth.

"How will you get back?" Nightwing asked.

"I don't know if I will," I said simply. "But I need to finish training and if the Force wills me to come back to Earth, I'll come back to Earth. But things are chaotic over there and if the Force wills me to help restore order to the Galaxy, I'll restore order."

M'gann let out a sob and a sober wave of realization washed over everyone else. They knew I was dead set on going back, no matter the cost.

"I didn't set out to join the Team or anything. I set out to stop Ned, but along the way, I've discovered that the Force has greater plans for me which I'd be a fool to run from. The Force is destiny and this is something that has been in the cards for me, even if I didn't realize it," I said slowly. "Batman, I know we had a deal, but I think, for the most part, I've held up my end of the bargain. And, I don't think that Ned will even be there."

"Explain," Batman said, his voice cutting over everyone else's.

"I'll do my best," I said, taking a deep breath. We were wasting time. "When Ned first created the time machine, he needed the machine to travel between places because he didn't know what he was doing. Once he figured that out, he could program it to open and close without him actually having to be in control of the machine, but he always took it with him because he could pile up his contraband to ensure everything made it through with him.

"I had a vision today of his conversation with the Inquisitors when he sold me out. They pre-arranged the return portal and, because he has a stronger gem from Klarion with greater mystical properties than the first stone, he doesn't have to be in the vicinity to open the portal, and neither does the machine. He'll hold up his end of the bargain and open the portal, the rest of it will be up to the Inquisitor. He'll be safely holed up in his safehouse. It's a shame the information hasn't come through," I added, but finding one building that could be anywhere in the world--but most likely somewhere in America--in three hours was impossible. "Because now would be the perfect opportunity to get him."

"What if we try a locator spell?" Zatanna realized. "I've felt the signature of the new gem, we know that he'll be getting ready to use the machine, which will make the magic signal stronger. If we stay back, ready to jump in a zeta tube, I can piggyback the portal being opened and back-trace it to him. We'll hit him while he's distracted with the portal, which will entice him to close it once Chelsey is safely through."

I beamed at the plan. I would be able to get through to the other side while the Team took down Ned, all in one fell swoop. I was sold, but the look on Batman's face was unreadable.

Lantern seemed to be in his own world, thinking deeply, his gaze wandering the ground as ideas were tossed about.

"We need a moment," Batman decided.

That was a kind invitation for everyone but Nightwing, Green Lantern, and I to vacate the area. The Team scrambled to leave us and I took a fortifying breath, bracing for what was to follow. An idea occurred and I decided to take control of the conversation to show that Batman wasn't in control of me.

"Lantern, did the information from Oa come through?" I asked.

"Not yet. But there won't be an opportunity like this again," he added. That was his way of siding with me and I suppressed a smile because I knew that could set Batman over the edge. "Besides, I can travel there on my own time and can meet you on the other side as soon as I can to make sure you made it through and potentially bring you back."

"If that's a risk you're willing to take, then I would be more than appreciative, but I want you to really consider what you're offering," I said. "With the way things are in the Empire right now, I don't want you to suffer because of me now that I know why the Lantern Corps were never involved in our affairs."

Batman just watched, shaking his head at the monster he'd created.

"There's no changing your mind?" Nightwing asked quietly.

I eyed him curiously before giving my answer.

"No. I choose to believe this is my destiny. I have to do this."

Batman suddenly buried his head in his hands. I turned to him.

"I know you don't want me doing this, but I learned from the best."

"I know. I know! There's nothing I can do to stop you because you aren't an official Team member. But you can be, if you want, Chelsey, because you've already made quite a difference around here."

"Hey!" I cried in protest. "No guilt tripping."

"Alright!"

There wasn't actually much of a plan. But when we'd reached our agreement, I left to the vehicle garage to acquaint myself with the TIE Avenger. I climbed inside and stowed the holocron away before studying the dials. When I felt comfortable, I removed the Blood Carver's meager personal items and replaced them with a set of nondescript clothes that would blend in at a smugglers port or a trading post.

Then I meditated. My head was filled with images of star charts and distant planets and Master Yoda until a foreign, anxious presence jolted me out of my trance.

It was M'gann.

"The meet is in an hour," she told me. "And we would like to say goodbye before you go."

I followed her toward the kitchen, filled with a strange mixture of sadness and jittery anticipation. I was going home.

The kitchen was packed. The entire Team was waiting, along with several Justice Leaguers that I had met over the past few days. Who knew that in such a short period of time, so many people would have an impact on my life?

"Chelsey, we know that you weren't part of the Team for very long, or even officially part of the Team, but we wanted to show our support. You've helped up connect the dots between the Light and weapons dealing, as well as solve a mystery as to how some of the worst villains were getting their hands on advanced technology. We want you to know that we all support what you have chosen to do and that we are all thinking of you, no matter what happens," Nightwing said.

If that was an impromptu speech, he could have a go at professional speech writing. He would be quite successful because I was on the verge of tears at his words.

"Thank you, guys," I said, my voice breaking. "For everything, really. I can't tell you how much your support means to me because I've only just realize how lost I'd become here. And maybe I won't come back at all, or maybe it will take years, I don't know, but you're family to me. I know this idea is insane, but I trust that you'll be the ones to bring Ned down once and for all."

I was smothered in a hug from M'gann, who wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. She literally squeezed tears out of me and when she let go, I was pulled into another hug, this one by Barbara. And so it went. Hug after hug, teary goodbye after teary goodbye. Realization washed over me and I hurriedly asked Nightwing to withdraw me from Gotham University and pack up my dorm room through tears that lasted until I was standing in front of Batman, who wore this signature scowl. My tears stopped and I felt startlingly sober, looking up into his dark cowl.

"You've grown up since we first met," he finally said, his voice so quiet I was the only one who could hear him. "I'm proud of you."

That opened the floodgates again and I threw myself onto Batman, who certainly wasn't expecting a grand show of emotion. An awkward second passed before he actually hugged me back and then I stepped away.

"I'm off," I decided, looking back toward everyone through blurry eyes. "I'll signal when I'm in position and again when I go through the portal. Farewell."

I started toward the door, but turned back.

"And may the Force be with you."


	15. Chapter Fifteen: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Visibility was horrendous. The coastal winds had blown in a storm that was angrily spitting hailstones while the clouds overhead blotted out the sun. Beneath me, waves raged, brutally attacking the shoreline, breaking over the rocky coast with impressive walls of white spray. I hovered a hundred or so feet off the ground in the TIE Avenger, debating whether or not to raise my shields. They would push away the hail and stop the incessant pounding of compact snow on metal, but it would also take a toll on my fuel supply. To save my sanity, it might have been worth it.

"It's time," Batman's gruff voice called over the earpiece I had yet to remove.

I wondered, for a brief second, whether this was our last conversation. Was this my last conversation on Earth?

"Nothing," I reported, scanning the area in front of me. It lined up with the coordinates I'd discovered in the echo, yet nothing was happening, and Ned's punctuality was one of his winning characteristics.

Then something shifted. I felt it, in the pit of my stomach first. A brutal chill began to spread through my body, numbing my insides and then my extremities, freezing me over. I was too frightened to move when I realized that the portal had been opened. Finally, something inside me snapped.

"Portal opened. Approaching target," I said in an even voice, not betraying the fact that I was utterly terrified.

"May the Force be with you," Batman said, copying the farewell I'd delivered earlier.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I didn't mean it just for repeating those words. I meant it because Batman had given me my life back on two separate occasions and, while he scared the living daylights out of me and I'd lied to him for a long time, his trust in me meant something I couldn't fully comprehend. Batman had unwittingly become an integral part of my life and I'd been too stubborn to realize it until I was leaving.

The portal was twenty or so feet below me, just high enough off the surface of the Pacific Ocean that the spray slipped through but not the waves. It was an ominous two dimensional black doorway that was almost a perfect disk shape. With surprisingly steady hands, I lowered the ship until I was level with it and, before I could change my mind, I angled the starship forward.

"Entering target," I said before the hole consumed me and my earpiece disconnected.

Traveling through the portal was not unlike traveling in a zeta tube. Instead of a white flash of light, it was a purple-blue color, but it had the same effect as the first time I took a zeta to the Cave. Memories flashed through my mind and when I opened my eyes, I instantly recognized Coruscant.

The orangey-red sky, a result of an incredible amount of pollution. The towering buildings, unique and seemingly endless. The constant noise, a combination of ships entering and leaving the atmosphere and speeders cutting through the sky. The deeply unsettling pull of the Force, strong and unbroken.

Everything around me came crashing into place. My senses felt like they'd been dialed up to eleven as every piece of stimulus, enforced by the undeniably strong presence of the Force, seemed magnetized toward me.

For a brief moment, all I could do was drink in my surroundings and force myself to calm down. I couldn't do anything without a clear head.

When I finally settled, taking several deep breaths, I scanned the nearest surroundings.

I was on a secluded landing platform on the plant surface. There was practically no lighting whatsoever, but I spotted the outlines of other TIE Avengers in an orderly line outside a rather dark yet ornate building that radiated Dark Force.

That feeling overcoming me was enough to galvanize me into action. As the portal sealed behind me, I angled the ship straight up, rising through the atmosphere quickly as I scanned my surroundings, trying to make sense of where I was. With a sinking feeling that made my heart pound and my stomach churn, I realized the Jedi Temple used to stand here.

But nothing of the original structure was left.

Choking down bile, I punched in coordinates in the navigational computer and, as soon as I breached the atmosphere and entered deep space, I activated the hyperdrive. As the stars around me elongated, the white-blue stripes seemed to spur me on as I fled Coruscant toward the center of the galaxy.

My journey was long and tedious. I had to skillfully cut through the Deep Core in a series of controlled and calculated jumps before I could journey past the Core to the Colonies. Once I was sure that no one was tracking me, I would stop at Thyferra for fuel before following the Rimma Trade Route through the outer layers of the galaxy.

I felt comfortable in the cockpit and a deep sense of nostalgia washed over me for a minute, temporarily blocking out the fear and anxiety that had been eating away at me from the moment I made the insane decision to journey back here through a portal Ned created. In some ways, it was fitting--like I'd come full circle and the portal, as it's last act, brought me home the way it had, as one of its first acts, saved me. As hyperspace whipped by at lightspeed, I watched, just as mesmerized as I had been the first time I remembered piloting a ship through hyperspace.

A beep from the computer sounded and I watched, getting ready to drop out of hyperspace and reprogram the computer with new coordinates. I could have entered at a different point and used a single jump to get me through the core, but this way reduced parsecs, which saved fuel, and the multiple jumps gave me several opportunities to ditch a tail, should it come to it.

As the blur faded, I vigilantly studied the radar for blips indicating other ships, but nothing appeared. Satisfied, I punched in the next coordinates and entered hyperspace again.

\----

When I finally dropped out of deep space near the Thyferrian atmosphere, I was exhausted and desperately in need of fuel. The ship's computer, I had discovered, was programed with an impressive database of fueling points, trading ports, and Imperial bases.

Thyferra was an disgustingly humid planet, if I recalled correctly. From space, the surface looked much like images I'd seen of Earth, with huge continents of deep green, crisscrossed with dark blue swatches that connected bodies of water. It was also a very well connected planet because the Vratix had invented bacta, which gave them impressive political pull, which meant the Empire kept a close eye on them.

Instead of descending on the surface of the planet where I could run into any number of Imperial staff or informants, I veered toward the larger of the moons that orbited the planet where a small space port was located, targeted toward traders and merchants that were just passing through.

As I drew closer and my nerves began to swell despite my best efforts, my onboard radio crackled. The operator read out the callsign the ship broadcasted and asked my business. After communicating my need to refuel, he directed me toward the space port and a docking bay.

I followed the directions exactly, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to myself. Slowing down considerably, I descended through the thin atmosphere of the moon and toward a settlement enclosed in a large bubble. This helped control the atmosphere and pressure. To enter, the process wasn't unlike using locks on Earth. I maneuvered the ship into the entrance port, hovering between a blue shield and the hatch overhead. When I was secured, the shield overhead was activated and the one beneath me deactivated and I was through to the other side.

The space port was orderly and surprisingly uniform, every surface the same dull metal. Right beneath the entrance I could see a row of docking bays, each marked with a large painted numeral. I found the one the radio operator had indicated and activated the landing sequence, lowering the ship completely to the ground.

As it settled, I felt strangely giddy. Grabbing a stack of credits and a breathing mask--it never hurt to take precautions, and the tubing would disguise my face--I clambered out the hatch at the top of the cockpit and lowered myself to the ground. A Vratix technician in a white uniform went about attaching a fuel line to the ship while I headed toward the doorway of the bay which connected to a long hall.

Most space ports functioned in similar ways. When it came to refueling, there was a central office that handled all the finances. Once the ship was taken care of, I would square up there. I was curious, however, about attaining any information about the political climate, so I ventured out of the hallway out onto a street of sorts. The dome protecting the spaceport was visible overhead as I wandered the space beyond. It was a makeshift bazaar with rows upon rows of stalls peddling every type of merchandize imaginable. I saw scraps, cloths, produce, livestock (that couldn't be entirely legal), blasters, trinkets, star charts, and more.

Beings rushed about in a range of styles. Some wore coveralls--I was longing for a pair for sentimental reasons--others had items made of strange hides and leathers, some wore dresses that dragged along the ground behind them as they walked.

I didn't stand out because no one blended in.

My blades were carefully tucked away inside my interior jacket pockets, away from prying eyes but on hand if needed. Their weight was comforting as I wandered the stalls, stretching my aching legs. I purchased a jogan fruit and wandered the market, savoring the flavor I had almost forgotten.

"How much?" I asked one of the stalls selling random metal parts, pointing to a diatium battery and a length of metal tubing that I had picked out.

We haggled over the price until I walked away, knowing I'd gotten away with a bargain. I stopped further down at another stall with a different assortment of small metal doohickeys, selecting a switch and a dial along with some two inch metal rings and some other scraps. After paying for those pieces as well, I set out, determined to find an emitter and a regulator and some other pieces to make a lightsaber that was more my style, not lobbed together out of the remnants of two salvaged blades.

The hunt took a while, but I found everything I needed and returned to the docking bays, paying an outrageous amount of credits for the fuel that had been pumped into the TIE. As I returned to the ship and checked it over, looking for any devices that the technician may have slipped onto the hull, I pondered what I'd overheard in the market. It was mostly about Imperial blockades and insane taxes, but there were whisperings of uprisings, of people fighting back, of a rebellion. People that couldn't in good conscious let the Empire stand any longer.

That sparked hope within me.

\----

My trip to Triton was very similar to Thyferra. While the fuel cells were being topped off, I wandered the traders markets, looking at metal scraps and findings, selecting pieces that could potentially build the lightsaber I wanted. I kept an ear to the ground for news, as well, but further out of the reach of the Empire, it wasn't a common topic of discussion.

When I left the surface of Triton, I was practically radiating a nervous energy that, for the first time, caused my hands to tremble as I programmed the hyperdrive. Triton was only a few planets away from Dagobah, following the Rimma Trade Route, and I would be there soon enough. Then I had to face the problem of locating Master Yoda. The onboard database had practically no information about Dagobah because the planet was very remote and the surface was almost entirely swamp, making large settlements difficult to build and maintain. It appeared that there were very few life forms at all, I noted with interest.

As the hyperdrive beeped and I prepared to exit hyperspace, I was overwhelmed with the strength of the Force. I dropped out of lightspeed and sat for a stunned moment as the planet seemed to call out to me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. It was addictive, almost, as I snapped to attention and approached the planet, amazed by the intensity of the green surface far below, masked by white clouds.

The closer to the surface of the planet, the worse the visibility became. First I thought it was the clouds, but when I sunk beneath them, I faced the relentless rain, which seemed to create a thick fog. I could barely see a foot beyond the window of the cockpit. At first, it was frustrating, but then I closed my eyes and let go, allowing myself to reach the Force.

I was drawn across the planets surface, as if there was a compass inside me. The closer I got to something, the stronger the Force became until I felt that I was literally right on top of my target. Carefully, I set down the ship on a relatively flat spit of land between two very overgrown trees and puddles of boggy water.

My connection with the Force was unparalleled as I gathered up my lightsabers, the parts I'd bought, and checked that the third kyber crystal hung from my neck. I released the hatch and climbed up, out of the cockpit, into the pouring rain.

As my feet hit the ground, I was surprisingly calm. I felt very aware but also controlled while my eyes wondered the space around me. After spinning a full three-hundred-sixty degrees, I turned and trudged off in one direction, following the inexplicable pull. The rain had already soaked my hair and was running down my face and jacket in tiny rivulets.

I vaulted over a downed tree that sprouted lush vegetation before picking my way through the swampy landscape, trying to keep my boots free of swamp water--I was willing to bet the smell wouldn't come out. On the edge of one of the pools, I saw a flicker of soft, yellow light through the persistent drizzle. It emanated from the base of a tree and when I drew closer, skirting a foul-smelling pond of soupy water, I realized there was a hut of sorts nestled in the bulbous roots of the tree with tiny windows looking out over the landscape.

Breath hitching, I drew closer and caught a flicker of movement. My hand darted to my blade, but it fell away when I saw the pale green figure emerging from the structure, leaning heavily on a wooden walking stick. He fixed me with his green eyes and smiled.

"Master Yoda?" I whispered in disbelief, collapsing to my knees before him, my hand covering my mouth as tears flowed down my cheeks. The marshy ground soaked through the knees of my pants, but I didn't really care anymore.

I truly wasn't the last one.

"Young Padawan, grown have you," he said, fixing me with a look of fondness.

I laughed lightly. He was right. Last I'd seen him, I was only a head and a smidge taller than him. Now I towered over him at full height. He also, I assumed, meant that I'd grown as a person. I was more experience, skilled, and mature. That was the true testament of time passing.

"There is so much I want to tell you," I said, drying my eyes.

"Talk out of the rain, we shall," he replied, turning back toward the arched doorway of his hut.

Hearing his actual voice sent shivers down my spine. It wasn't the way I remembered it, all those years ago when I had been at the Temple. Perhaps he had grown and matured as well.

I scrambled to my feet and approached the door, kicking the mud off my boots best I could before I ducked through the low arch. Inside, I couldn't fully straighten because the roof was low and sloped at awkward angles, but the space was warm and welcoming and when Master Yoda motioned for me to sit beside the blazing fire, I couldn't turn down the request.

"How did you escape, Padawan?" he asked when I was situated. I ended up pulling off my leather jacket and draping it over my knees to dry.

The story tumbled out of my mouth, not unlike the way I'd broken the news to Batman and the Team. But explaining Earth, explaining the different culture and lifestyle and lack of awareness was difficult. I was sure I left Master Yoda with more questions than answers, but he patiently waited for me to tell the story, watching with curious eyes. I knew he was drinking in every single word I said and picking it apart in his head as I desperately tried to communicate what life had been like on Earth.

I told him how frightened I was about being killed. How I shut myself off from the Force and hid. How I couldn't block out my training no matter how hard I tried. How ashamed I was for turning my back on others and trying to build a life for myself. And how just a few short days had not only put everything back into perspective, but taught me a series of undeniably important lessons that had led to me arriving on Dagobah.

When I finished talking, there was silence for a long time. I was crying again, but I was unsure what emotions I was feeling. I'd become acutely aware, ever since creating the black crystal, of my emotions in situations. It was something I was trying to keep in check, and awareness was the first step. I also expected Yoda to repeat a cryptic adage that I'd forgotten, but he just fixed me with sad eyes and described his own escape.

And my world fell apart again.

Chancellor Palpatine was most definitely a Sith Master. Master Anakin turned to the Dark Side and was now known as Darth Vader. A miniscule handful of the Jedi Order still existed throughout the galaxy, and Master Yoda was only aware of the identities of a few of them. Master Obi Wan Kenobi was on Tatooine. Now the galaxy was a mess, overrun by the Empire with no one left to oppose it, the prophecy of the Chosen One a mystery again.

As the news sank in, I thought my head would explode. Each piece of the mystery was like a sucker punch to the gut. My heart bled thinking about everyone suffering, everyone who had died opposing the suffering, and everyone that was forced into submission by a single evil man.

I struggled to process everything.

"Sleep, Padawan. In the morning, discuss training, we shall."

I nodded mutely and settled down in front of the fire, emptying my pockets before bundling up the leather jacket and using it as a pillow. I was too tired to try to piece things together in my mind. Just seconds after rolling so my back was to the fire, I slipped into unconsciousness.

\----

A sudden draft of cold air roused me. When I manage to pry one eye open, I realize the fire had burned down and it's still pouring rain outside. Slightly annoyed, I pushed myself up and look around in the semi-darkness, locating a stack of wood inside an alcove beside the hearth. Absently, I added a few logs and gently blew on the embers until they flared up, igniting the bark of the wood. Satisfied with the growing fire beside me, I settled back, shifting around on the dirt floor of the hut, trying to find a comfortable position. My back ached from long hours seated in the cramped confines of the Avenger and however many hours I'd slept on the uneven, unpadded floor of the hut.

As my eyes fluttered shut, a shadowy blue movement just through the window caught my eye. Immediately, my heart was in my mouth as I scrambled to my feet, scooping up my blades as I ducked out the door to investigate.

Rain was still coming down in sheets, but I was somewhat protected by the tree over the hut. Huge drops fell from the branches, one of them falling straight down the back of my long sleeved shirt as I scanned my surroundings. A tension hummed around me. It was the Force.

The blue figure rounded the back of the hut and stepped toward me.

Utterly bewildered, I activated the blade of my lightsaber, my heart hammering as the black blade extended. Worse, it felt completely natural in my hand. But I was more concerned--and confused--by the figure in front of me.

"Youngling," they said, smiling at me with the same fondness that Master Yoda had shown when I'd thrown myself at his feet just hours before.

"I don't understand," I whispered, looking up at the face of my old master. "You died. Master Yoda told me you died."

"I did die," Master a-Bara said evenly, with infinite patience, just as always. "And by will of the Force, I present myself to you again, for my body is gone, but my spirit lives on."

I collapsed the blade in my hand and slumped back against the tangle of roots that formed an exoskeleton around Master Yoda's hut. Before me, Master a-Bara's form seemed to strengthen and glow as I studied them. Master a-Bara seemed to be studying me with the same keen interest.

"You have come a long way from when I last saw you," they said.

"I've done terrible things, Master," I admitted, my voice barely audible. "Such terrible things. I lost faith, I forgot the ways of the Jedi, I killed for personal gain..."

"And you learned, adapted, and overcame. Your actions and their consequences will remain a part of you for the rest of your life. Are you prepared to face them?"

"I have to."

Master a-Bara smiled.

"Your loyalties are commendable, Chessa. Despite the adversity you faced, you turned back to the Force and followed it. You are here to complete what we began together, what I was never able to finish. I am proud of you, Padawan. Despite your limited training and knowledge of the Force, you found hope when you needed it most and you trusted in the Force. Without mentors to show you the way, you have found it. Do not discredit how far you have come due to a few shortcomings. To become a better version of ourselves, we must make mistakes. To become the best version of ourselves, we must learn from mistakes."

I stood still, soaking in the words of Master a-Bara's final lesson.

"You are ready, Chessa, to finish your training."

The news made my heart soar, but tears blurred my eyes and I held a hand up to stay them. So many emotions were running through me. A sense of pride, a hint of nostalgia, a consuming pain and sense of loss. And a sense of helplessness.

"I feel ready for the next step, Master, but after that? What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "How will I know what the right path is for me?"

"I think you already know," Master a-Bara replied. Their figure began to fade, as if someone was holding down a dimmer switch. "May the Force be with you, Chessa Connal Contal."

When I opened my mouth to repeat the words back, the only sound that came out was a huge, ragged sob as my Master faded from existence. Unable to stand, I slumped against the side of Master Yoda's hut and mourned. As the moment faded and my strength returned, I straightened up and brushed away my tears, taking a cleansing breath and approaching the hut, leaving my emotional baggage to drown in the rain.

I was a little shocked to see Master Yoda standing beside the fire when I ducked back inside.

"A visitor?" he asked.

Numbly, I nodded.

"Wise words, Master a-Bara spoke. Ready, you are, to compete your training."


	16. Chapter Sixteen: The Temple

When Master Yoda said I was ready to complete my training, I wasn't sure what to think. When I had been at the Temple, there was a war and my peers proved themselves in battle alongside the Clone Troopers. Without the precedent to rely on, I was nervous.

After a hearty breakfast of some sort of stew--I didn't question, I just ate--Master Yoda and I exited the hut and trekked through the swamp. He moved slowly, leaning on his cane as we picked our way around trees, fallen trunks, puddles of mud, and other obstacles, including the ever-present number of snakes that seemed to inhabit the planet. I patiently walked, waiting for Master Yoda to clue me in on what this training would look like. My blades swung from my hips and the third crystal dangled around my neck, the pieces for the next lightsaber I had planned stuffed in my pockets, rattling gently as we walked.

It was still raining and the landscape was quite foggy, making our destination quite difficult to spot, but I waited, trusting that Master Yoda would tell me when I needed to know. Batman had taught me that, what with his compartmentalization of facts between people and his general need to pull strings.

"Much patients you exhibit, Padawan," he finally said, drawing to a halt in a clearing. It was shrouded in heavy white fog that started to dissipate toward the fringe of the trees as he spoke. "Sit. Meditate. Reach out through the Force."

I did as I was told, sinking down onto my knees and closing my eyes. I breathed in and out, clearing my mind and opening my body for the Force to flow through me. Uncertainty ebbed away as I sharpened my mind, turning to the Force and the feelings and visions it presented.

An image appeared in my head. It was fuzzy at first, but I didn't try to grab at it. Slowly, it came into view and I took into the details. There was sand. Two suns danced in the pale sky. A very young boy stood watching the sunset.

The vision changed. A familiar man sat in a room with whitewashed clay walls. Sadness was visible on his face. There was a lightsaber on the table beside a glass of moisture. The scene faded.

I was watching the interior of a ship. A ragtag crew gathered around a table, but my eyes were drawn to the figure in the orange flight suit, a tan vest on top of it. He held a painted helmet and a strange device hung from his belt. It was like a rectangular frame, but I could tell there was a handle on one side. He must have had a connection to the Force if I was seeing him.

Then there was a Togruta with prominent white and blue montrals and lekku. She was cool and collected, two white bladed lightsabers in her hands. My heart jumped as she wheeled around, intercepting a red blade between her own, pivoting her body and bumping a figure clad in black. It was an Inquisitor! Before I could see any more of the fight, the image melted away.

My mind was blank again. After a moment, I opened my eyes. Master Yoda was seated across from me, lost in his own meditation. Another minute passed before his eyes open.

"What has the Force shown you, Padawan?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted, pondering the four people. Recognition flared and I started piecing together the greater meaning behind the images. "It showed me four people. Master Obi Wan and Padawan Learner Ahsoka Tano were among them. The other two were Force sensitive, I'm sure of it."

Master Yoda nodded thoughtfully.

"Find meaning in this, do you?"

"Not to jump the gun or anything," I said carefully, "But I believe the Force was showing me that there is hope scattered throughout the galaxy. Hope in those people that carry on the Jedi Order. I just don't know what that means in regards to me."

By the expression on Master Yoda's face, he suspected otherwise.

"Is the Force telling me that I'm another spot of hope for the galaxy, or that the galaxy is in good hands and that I'm needed elsewhere?" I asked, helplessly confused. Did I want it to be telling me one thing? I wasn't sure.

"Discover this, you shall. Now, lay your blades before you and take up the remaining crystal."

I did as I was told, setting down the blue blade and the black blade side by side, emptying my pockets of scraps as well before unclasping my necklace and grabbing the crystal. It was cool in my palm, the red core giving it an added weight that made me slightly sick. Master Yoda watched me with sharp eyes, noting the uncomfortable feeling I got holding the crystal.

"Clear your mind. Let go of your anger and fear and cleanse the crystal," he instructed.

That was what I had tried last time, but I sank further into the ground, breathing deeply as my mind emptied and opened, searching the Force as I held the kyber crystal loosely in my hand. This time, I kept my mind blank as the crystal in my hand started to heat up, not to the point of scorching my skin, but enough to be uncomfortable. The reaction was enough for me to grasp at happy memories, something to overpower the anger and darkness that was surrounding me.

The memory that came to mind was from just hours before. As I stood in the kitchen at the Cave, surrounded by my new family as I prepared to set out to fulfill my destiny. They were so welcoming, so genuine, and so concerned. My heart swelled at the thought of them, and their good-intentioned missions to fight the evil that was trying to overtake Earth. They were such genuine people with the biggest hearts.

This time, I could feel the light winning, overpowering the evil that had once corrupted the kyber crystal. When my eyes flew open, I let out a massive pent up breath before looking down at my palm, slumping in relief at the coloration. The crystal had a purple core, surrounded by white. It was unlike any crystal I'd seen before.

I looked at the parts assembled before me and got to work, dismantling the black bladed lightsaber. Then I closed my eyes, envisioning the schematics that had assembled in my mind when I first saw the pieces. When I looked again, the pieces were suspended in front of me. As I watched, they fell into place, screwing around and connecting until a long metal tube dropped onto my palm. It was a work of art.

Essentially, I had made two twin lightsabers that joined together at the end, twisting together to lock into a single double-bladed weapon. The grips were ridged, framed by smooth tubing. There was a single power switch, the blade adjusters build into the rest of the handle and easily adjusted by spinning a section of the lightsaber.

I ignited the lightsabers one at a time. The black blade sprung free, as dark and ominous as ever, the perfect reminder of what happened when I lost touch with the Force. Then the second blade grew, and I stared in wonderment. It had a skinny purple core that was framed by white, unlike anything I'd seen before. Judging by the curious expression on Master Yoda's face, it was uncharted water for him as well.

\----

My time on Dagobah started to blur together. Each day, Master Yoda and I would walk through the swampy marshes and find a spot between the trees where the ground was relatively dry. We would meditate, spar, strategize, revisit the past, explore the future. Then we would return to the hut and make dinner, spending the evening in a companionable silence.

The Force was growing stronger within me. When I meditated, the images were clearer, they came to me faster, and they were deeper than anything I'd experienced before. I caught images of other symbols of hope throughout the galaxy--people fighting oppression. My fighting had improved as well. I was physically prepared and my motions were more controlled and deliberate and honed.

Yet I was still conflicted. Was I to return to Earth or join the rebellions that were sparking throughout the galaxy? And there was still the issue of the Sith holocron, sitting in the TIE Avenger. Was it drawing attention?

As Master Yoda and I settled down for supper one evening, I watched out the window. The sky was clear for once, the rain having halted and the clouds and fog drifted away for the first time, revealing the pearly silver atmosphere that loomed overhead, almost like a storm cloud, but not quite.

My mind was spinning, drifting back to Earth. Was Ned in custody? Had he flipped on the Light? Or was he in the wind again, wreaking havoc again? Had I made the right choice, leaving it all behind?

"Your mind on Earth, Padawan?" Master Yoda asked.

His voice wasn't unkind, but there was a hint of something else there, a subtle reminder that if my mind wandered, I wasn't fully focused and I couldn't fully access or use the Force.

"Yes, Master," I replied honestly. "I have yet to see it in my meditations, and I worry about those I left behind. I guess I want closure in the matters that I left unfinished."

I looked down at my soup, suddenly lacking an appetite.

"A mission I have for you."

My head snapped up and I looked at Master Yoda in anticipation. He seemed a bit resigned, as if he wasn't sure if it was the best course of action, but I recognized an expression on his face. He was conflicted, but this was the will of the Force, I was sure of it.

"Leave for Lorta tomorrow. Visit the Temple there and answers you will find."

"Thank you, Master," I said, smiling widely, but inside, my stomach was fluttering. The last mission I had been ended with Order 66. And I was carrying around a Sith holocron, which wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

I cleaned the dishes and tried to settle down to catch some sleep, but my mind was racing. There were many planets in the galaxy, but I knew next to nothing about Lorta. It was mid-rim and somewhat close, but that was all I knew off the top of my head. In the morning, after eating with Master Yoda, we walked to the clearing where I'd left the TIE Avenger.

"May the Force be with you, Padawan," he said as I climbed up into the cockpit. I repeated the words before sinking down and locking the hatch.

I consulted the navigation computer, pleased to see that Lorta was a straight shot from Dagobah, meaning that a single jump through hyperspace would do the trick. Master Yoda watched from a short distance as I programmed the computer and started the engine, rising off the surface of the planet. Before disappearing completely, I waved goodbye and turned my attention to the sky.

The jump through hyperspace was uneventful, but time seemed to crawl by. I tried to sit still, to empty my mind and focus on the Force, but I was unable to until I was exiting the white-blue blur of hyperspace and could see the planet. It was a boring army green and tan colored planet with white-blue water. As I drew closer, I could sense a tug in the pit of my stomach, as if there was a rope tied to the Temple, connecting us and reeling me in.

I dropped through the atmosphere, drawn toward the strongest convergence of the Force, where I landed in the thick underbrush. The planet surface here was like a dry forest, with very thin, scraggly plants. The soil was dry and packed and I spotted clouds on the horizon but wondered how often it rained.

There weren't any structures around, but I'd been pulled to this spot, so it was as good a place as any to investigate further. Before setting out, I hesitated, doubling back to the TIE and extracting the holocron. Using the Force, I levitated it ahead of me as I walked, dry sticks and leaves crunching underneath me no matter how hard I tried to avoid them.

Something piqued my interest and I slowed, noting distinct circular patterns on the ground where stone rose through the dirt. I had seen similar patterns before, in the Temple.

This was it! This was the entrance.

I lowered the holocron to the ground and paced around the circles, trying to get a better look at them. There were three of them in a triangular formation, each circle decorated with smaller markings inside. Eventually I knelt between the three rings and closed my eyes in meditation. The Force was strong, and something compelled me to reach out a hand. My fingers strained, and then I heard it. A rumbling that grew louder as my hand clenched.

When the noise stopped, I toppled backward, my eyes flying open. A rough stone-hewn temple had risen out of the smooth ground in front of me. It didn't have the spires like the one on Coruscant, but I knew it was equally important. Levitating the holocron, I approached the massive stone door that had opened a few feet. I slipped into the dim interior, the door swinging shut behind me, cutting off the only shaft of light.

The holocron let off a dim red light as I started forward. To the side, I could see the looming outline of pillars stretching upward, hewn from the living rock as if the room I was in had been hollowed out. Carvings marked the floor in intricate patterns that I couldn't quite discern with the limited lighting.

I wandered across the length of the first room in the temple. On the far wall, I could see a series of archways marking three separate hallways. My mind flitted back to when I'd gotten my first kyber crystal in the ice caves of Ilum.

I sank down to the ground again, contemplating my three options. Nothing stirred in my mind, but when I opened my eyes, I spotted a faint blue light in the tunnel on the left. I scrambled to my feet, snatching up the holocron with my right hand while I drew my double-bladed lightsaber with my left, plunging through the darkness after the light.

The holocron heated up in my hand but I resisted the dark, unclean feeling that spread from wherever it made contact with my skin. My feet pounded lightly on the rocky floor of the temple. This pathway sloped downward, curving around slightly. I could see blue dancing on the wall and followed, determined to catch the source of the ghostly glow.

It lead me through a series of twists and turns, down new hallways and past entrances and junctions as I ran deeper into this mysterious labyrinth. No matter how hard I ran, the light seemed to remain the same distance ahead of me, just out of reach. I couldn't tell the source because it was so powerful, emanating from a white core.

I ducked around another corner and was unexpectedly enveloped in the light, that had stopped bobbing ahead of me. The source, I quickly realized was a small fist-sized orb that hovered four or so feet off the ground. My momentum carried me straight to the orb and it passed through me, absorbing into my chest. Even though the orb disappeared, the light it had emitted remained, like an aura around my body.

I'd been so distracted by the orb that I failed to look around. The light had brought me to a circular chamber with rough stone walls that sloped upward into a dome. The walls were heavy with carving, nearly every inch depicting an image or an ancient rune of some sort. I ran a finger along the gashes in the stone and caught a blue-tinged image of a robed figure slashing at the walls with a glowing instrument, not dissimilar to a lightsaber, but on a much smaller scale. As the image faded, I saw the plinth in the center of the room, supporting a metal cube that was about a foot wide.

The light seemed to follow me as I moved through the room, kneeling in front of the metal box. Its connection to the Force was powerful, and I felt compelled to meditate. As I sank into nothingness, images began flashing.

The box in front of me opening, panels sliding and falling aside, splayed out like the pedals of a flower, revealing a small glowing cube.

The red flash of blades. An Inquisitor, the holocron suspended in the air, jerking back and forth in a sort of tug-of-war.

Hal Jordan's smiling face as he pulled me into a hug.

Nightwing running down a street in Downtown Gotham, dodging blasts of light, tackling a bystander to the ground and rolling out of the way.

I emerged from the visions and stood, circling the dais before me. Tentatively, I reached out and pressed my left hand down on top, the cool metal biting into my fingers. At my touch, blue lines spread across the sides of the box and they began unfolding in strips, falling back to reveal the cube from my vision. It was blue-white with golden detailing in geometric shape along the side panels.

A Jedi holocron.

Hesitantly, I reached out a picked it up. While heat seemed to radiate off the Sith holocron in my right hand, the Jedi holocron was cool to the touch. Two opposing sides, one in each hand, their powers surging through my body. It was a strange sensation, and quite a powerful one.

Taking a final look around the circular chamber, I turned back toward the tunnel system. This was my mission. Master Yoda sent me here to collect the Jedi holocron, although I wasn't completely sure why. Perhaps it was test, to see if I was ready? I wasn't sure.

As my mind wandered, my feet carried me back to the central chamber of the Temple. The light that I followed, that had floated into my chest, still poured off me. Even when I stepped out of the Temple, it was still there, although much harder to see with the natural light. My eyes struggled to adjust, but when they did, my heart started.

Parked beside the starship I had arrived in was a twin. My stomach reeled as I shoved the holocrons into my jacket pockets and drew my lightsaber, extending the black and white-purple blade. My senses were on high alert as I stepped away from the Temple, trying in vein to locate my enemy's position. Something inside me told me I was going to fight my way out of this. That must have been what the vision in the holocron chamber was warning me about.

A figure detached itself from the shadows beside the second TIE Avenger. It was a humanoid, but with grayish skin. He wore a triangular-esque hat and a black uniform that reminded me of the Blood Carver back on Earth. They were definitely of the same school, which he proved by drawing his own lightsaber with the circular hilt. Two blades extended outward as he approached me.

"You killed one of the Inquisitorius," he said. There was something vaguely familiar about his severe face, but it didn't get caught up in that. He was already planning my death. "You will die."

"That's exactly what she said before I drove my blade through her heart," I replied, crouching and bracing for the attack I provoked.

With incredible speed and accuracy, he threw his blade at me. It twisted end over end as it sliced through the air, straight at my body. Somehow I slashed it away as I threw myself out of its path. I kept rolling as the blade swept through the air, back toward his outstretched hand. As he charged forward, I launched myself to my feet, blades at the ready.

The Inquisitor came flying at me, his blades slashing as he laid down a series of brutally powerful blows that I matched with my own blades. While he had the physical strength, Master Yoda had helped me hone my forgotten skills. I was light on my feet, dancing around his blows and jabbing under his defense.

A natural pause drew the two of us apart as we circled, analyzing the others fighting style, stance, and weaknesses. My hands firmly gripped the dual-blade, but I had a plan. I dropped my left shoulder, allowing an irresistible gap to develop in my defense. The Inquisitor capitalized on the opportunity.

As he jumped forward, cutting across the uneven ground in two powerful strides, I twisted my wrist, separating the two blades as I sprang straight over him, landing on the ground with a roll and spinning to face his exposed rear. My black blade sliced a massive gash across his back and shoulder blades. The edge of his uniform smoldered as he whipped around, blocking my white-purple blade, which rebounded enough to throw off my balance slightly, throwing off my follow up swing with the black blade. Instead of severing his arm at the elbow, I only caught the hand, which fell to the ground, revealing cybernetics.

His blade fell to the ground and I took the opportunity to run full-tilt toward my ship. I needed to get out of here. As I sprinted across the rocky ground, the bushes snagging my pant legs, tearing tiny holes along the calves, there was a tug at my hip. Too late, I realized he was summoning the Sith holocron. It tore free of my pocket, cutting through the air.

My left hand shot out as I manipulated the Force, willing the pyramidal object back into my possession. The Inquisitor was putting up quite a fight and the red and gold object hovered a few feet off the ground between the two of us, jolting closer to one, then toward the other.

An idea occurred. I didn't actually need the Sith holocron. I didn't really want it because it drew so much attention. If I left it with the Inquisitor, they would be off my back for the foreseeable future.

I relinquished, letting the holocron arc through the air. My resignation was so sudden that it caught the Inquisitor completely off guard and he stumbled back at the sudden lack of resistance, which aided my act of retaliation. I concentrated hard, pushing the Force toward him. The blast sent him flying backward, holocron in tow, straight through the door of the Temple.

My left hand curved upward, forming a fist, then twisted around I slammed it down rapidly, spreading out my fingers. The Temple began to sink into the ground, the door disappearing first, locking the Inquisitor inside.

This was the perfect distraction for my escape. I continued my sprint toward the TIE Avenger, quickly circling the outside in search of tracking devices, but there appeared to be none. I hauled myself up and dropped through the hatch, barely getting it closed as I started up the engine and took off. For good measure, I open fired on the other ship when I was a safe distance away, striking the fuel cell which trigged a massive explosion.

\----

When I arrived back on Dagobah, I was exhausted. I left the ship where I had parked many days before and approached the hut, Jedi holocron clutched tightly in my hand. Master Yoda was waiting inside, staring pensively into the fire.

"Successful, were you?"

"Yes, Master," I said, sinking down next to the fire, weary after the long day. "I found a Jedi holocron. And as I was leaving, I was confronted by an Inquisitor. To escape, I relinquished the Sith holocron."

Master Yoda just hummed, watching the flames. That seemed to satisfy him. After a few minutes, he offered me a bowl of soup which I gratefully accepted.

"Closely guarded secrets, holocrons contain. Open it, can you?" Master Yoda asked.

I set down the bowl in my hand and picked up the holocron, holding it cupped between my hands. Closing my eyes, I focused on the object. I felt the cold surface leave my hand and looked up. It hovered an inch or so above my palms. As I watched, the corners of the cube twisted a few degrees and the hut filled with a blue glow of a hologram.

I was so shocked that it worked that I lost concentration and the cube closed, dropping from the air. I barely reached out in time to grab it from the air before it smacked into the floor.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Knighthood

The morning after my mission to Lorta, Master Yoda led me through the swamp through curtains of falling rain. He levitated a fallen tree out of the boggy water and used it as a bridge to cross onto a small island. I followed, careful of my footing on the slimy algae-coated bark, joining him on the solid ground, surveying the terrain. It was fairly flat with a few protruding rocks and thorny vines snaking across the surface, about the size of the kitchen in Wayne Manor; spacious but contained.

Master Yoda drew his green blade and I took up my new lightsaber, spinning it nervously in my fingers. We had sparred before, and each time, I was amazed by Master Yoda's mastery of Form IV. It was unbelievable and completely distracting. Today, I felt the same level of awe, but was also distracted by the questions he threw at me.

"Understand your visions now, do you?" he asked as I sidestepped and fumbled to block a blow from a low angle.

"No. I want to return to Earth, but I'm not sure if that's what the Force is telling me," I panted, counterattacking with a series of quick back and forth strokes, all of which Master Yoda blocked.

"Understand your purpose, do you not?"

"I must serve others," I replied, darting forward before withdrawing quickly. My blow had missed, but I recovered smoothly. "Protect, understand the will of the Force, teach, carry out the legacy of the Jedi Order."

"Learn something at the Temple, did you?" Master Yoda asked, flipping past me. I pulled a Matrix-style dodge, leaning so far back I thought I might fall, but I didn't.

"The Temple gave me pure knowledge." That was what a holocron was, after all. "Knowledge to use in my fight against the Dark Side and evil."

"Understand now, do you?"

The pieces fell together and my purpose was clear. A sense of relief washed over me and for a split second, I was completely one with the Force.

Master Yoda swept my feet out from underneath me with a clever Force blast. I flipped onto my stomach and struggled up to my knees, blade ready to fight off another attack. Before I could rise fully, Yoda was upon me, batting my blades aside. The lightsaber slipped from my hand, flying through the air and landing in the green water, disappearing from sight. Great.

My hand scrambled to draw my blue blade, but Master Yoda stayed it with the Force. He held out his blade, placing it over my right shoulder.

His face was virtually level with mine. I stared into his large eyes, knowing mine were dilated the size of tea saucers as rain sprayed my face and trickled down from my hairline.

"By the right of the Council," Master Yoda said, moving the blade to my left shoulder, "by the will of the Force, Chessa Connal Contal, you may rise."

Jaw hanging, I numbly clambered to my feet, my mind scrambling to process what had just happened, clawing the loose hairs out of my face and eyes.

Master Yoda knighted me.

"Ready, you are. No longer a Padawan Learner, but a Jedi Knight," Master Yoda said.

"Thank you, Master," I breathed, restraining myself from screaming.

I reached out my hand and my blade shot out of the water with a tiny splash, flipping end over end through the air before smacking into my palm. It was going to smell like swamp for a week, but that was a small price to pay after a knighthood.

My mind was still wheeling when we returned to the hut. I was so caught up in what happened that it took a moment to realize that we had company. When that registered, I broke into a run, bursting through the tree line and launching myself at the green-clad figure that stood at the base of the tree that grew above Master Yoda's hut.

"You're here!" I screeched as Hal barely managed to keep his footing. I must have surprised him.

"Chelsey," he exclaimed, pulling me tightly against him for a moment before stepping back. A grin of relief was plastered to his face. Déjà vu. "I feared the worst. We all did."

"What happened? Did you get Ned?" I demanded as Master Yoda caught up.

"He's in the wind again. They almost had him. Nightwing was in the safehouse, three feet from him, but someone tripped a perimeter sensor and things went to hell in a handbasket pretty quickly."

I cussed rather violently in a language Hal didn't understand, earning a sharp look from Master Yoda.

"But the back trace worked? Did you get the portal?" I demanded.

"Yes, the spell worked, no, Klarion showed up again. That guy is everywhere," Hal complained, clenching his hand into a fist.

Master Yoda invited us inside and we somehow squished in together. I was practically sitting on Green Lantern's shoes, but we made it work.

"How are things on your front?" Hal asked.

"You have impeccable timing," I informed him. "I have just been knighted and I have just discerned what the Force wants me to do. At least, I think."

"And?" Hal prompted.

I had to twist awkwardly to look him in the eye while I delivered the good news.

"I'm going back to Earth," I said, smiling. "There are other Force sensitives out there that have this galaxy covered. I am needed on Earth to deal with things there. That's what the Force has shown me."

Hal's face lit up.

"Are you joining the Team?"

"If they'll have me. We'll wrap things up with Ned, take out the Light, and I'll re-enroll in Gotham University because Batman is now footing the bill. I could go for that double major now, or at least a double emphasis."

We talked long into the afternoon, formulating plans for the next steps. Green Lantern needed to rest and recharge, but when he was ready, he would transport the both of us back across the universe to Earth. I was going to leave the TIE Avenger, which felt like a low blow, but realistically, it wasn't very practical. Earth didn't have the right type of fuel and the ship would draw more attention than it was worth. So I left it for Master Yoda to deal with, but I pocketed a few credits just in case, along with the extra lightsaber parts.

Green Lantern wasn't ready the next day, so we spent it wandering Dagobah. I took out the TIE one last time, reveling in the adrenaline rush and the other familiar feelings that flooded my system as I navigated the foggy surface of the planet. Somewhere in the atmosphere, I had a realization.

Yes, I was leaving again, and yes, it was more upsetting than I was letting on, but this time, I got to say goodbye. I got to enjoy things, knowing it was my last time, and when Green Lantern was finally ready to return to Earth, I was ready, too.

"May the Force be with you, Master," I said to Master Yoda, holding back tears.

"May the Force be with you, Chessa Connal Contal," he replied with a nod. That communicated everything I needed to know before I stepped up beside Hal Jordan and we were enveloped in a green bubble.

\----

Power Ring wasn't a form of transportation I would recommend to anyone, especially when there weren't any other passengers. Being stuck with Hal in the bubble was somewhat awkward, but as time stretched on and we became more comfortably, it became a bit of a therapy session. I unloaded quite a bit about my past to him. Just getting it off my chest felt liberating.

On our journey home, we stopped on foreign planets to rest and eat. As I walked beside Green Lantern, I saw the looks people gave him. They were mostly of awe and fear, which extended to me. I didn't mind. Strange looks were better than probing questions.

"How far out?" I asked.

I'd lost track of time while back. It could have been hours, days, weeks, even, I couldn't tell to save my life.

"We are approaching the Milky Way," he reported.

I was seated at the base of the bubble, leaning against the sloping side. The vacuum of space, while once infatuating, was now rather boring. I wanted multiple biomes on one planet, familiar city streets, Earthly food (no offense to Master Yoda's cooking, of course), and warmth from the sun. At least it was close at hand.

Incredibly quickly, I saw the planets begin to take shape as we bypassed Mars and approached Earth. The new perspective was phenomenal--photographs did not do the planets justice. The sheer size was mesmerizing.

"First stop, Watchtower," Green Lantern decided.

Earth loomed closer and we followed the curve of the planet, orbiting until the Watchtower appeared. That sight alone brought a smile to my face. Nothing had felt this right in a long time.

"Hal Jordan to Watchtower," Green Lantern said into his commlink. I heard him through my earpiece and breathed a sigh of relief. I was back! "Approaching bay door, requesting access."

Green Lantern brought us inside and when I had adjusted to solid ground beneath my feet again, I looked up and smiled. Batman was striding down the hallway, cape billowing behind him. Canary was a pace or two behind him and they fought to get a hug in first. The Dark Knight won, enveloping me in his massive arms and squeezing my frame until I thought a bone might break.

"Hi, Batman," I said when he finally released me. There were tears pouring down my cheeks.

"Get over here," Canary ordered, sweeping me into her arms. She wasn't any less gentle on me, but I appreciated the sentiment. "How are you doing?"

"That's a loaded questions," I said slowly. "Long story short, I've had a realization, I was knighted, and the Force showed me that my galaxy was in good hands for the time being, so I'm here to stay until the Force wills otherwise."

"Well, we're glad," Canary said. "I have to run, but I'm so happy you're back, Chelsey. If you need help brushing up on your training, you know where to find me."

I smiled as she disappeared down the hall, dabbing at her eyes. She thought she hid it well, but she didn't.

Hal stumbled and took his leave, heading for his bunk to rest up. I thanked him again for coming all the way to bring me home and he just smiled.

"How much time passed since I left?" I asked.

"A two and a half months almost," Batman replied.

That sank in.

"Wow."

"You know, you may have never officially been part of the Team, but there's a spot for you, should you want it?" Batman offered.

"Did you even need to ask?" I gave Batman a smirk. "I'm feeling a bit restless. Anything I can do tonight?"

"Well, the Team has been dispatched to deal with a Bane fiasco. Batgirl is running comms tonight while Nightwing's down in Gotham, doing patrol," Batman explained.

"Think he'll mind if I drop in?" I asked. "Surprise him, then the Team?"

"Go for it. I kept you in the system, just in case. Oh," he added, digging into a pocket in his utility belt. "For you."

He handed me a domino mask. I put it on.

Batman walked me back to the monitor, watching with interest as I walked through the zeta tube, headed for Gotham. Breathing in the sour, rotting stench that always seemed to hover over the city was strangely welcoming. Night had fallen on this side of the globe--without my watch, I didn't even know what time it was--and the city was lit by flickering yellow bulbs and garish neon signs.

I surveyed the deserted alleyway I'd been deposited and spotted a fire escape. On the rooftop, I surveyed my surroundings. Unsure of where Nightwing was at the moment, I sat down and crossed my legs, leaning into the Force.

The vision I'd had in the Temple resurfaced, but with more clarity. I clambered to my feet and took off running, jumping the gaps in the buildings. Those few seconds I was in the air were like when I was flying.

I was near the Wayne Tech building when I heard the noise. A buzzing vibration that oddly sounded futuristic. My head turned and I singled out the noise, breaking into a run. I paused at the edge of the rooftop and peered cover the edge.

A figure stood in the crosswalk, armed with a glowing gun of sorts. He fired again, sending bolts of white light. Nightwing was also in the street, eyes set on a bystander that was in the line of fire.

I didn't think twice. I jumped up on the ledge of the roof and dropped down ten or so stories, landing on the litter-strewn sidewalk beside the crosswalk in a crouch, one hand out on the pavement to balance my self, the other at my belt. The man wheeled on me, but my blue blade was drawn in seconds, deflecting the projectile straight back at the man responsible. The light orb hit the gun and something exploded, knocking the man to the ground. I dragged him out of the street right as the sirens sounded. The cop slowed beside me and I turned the man over to them.

Nightwing was waiting further down the street, taking to a few bystanders. As I approached, he broke away, moving to intercept me.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced," I joked, pulling him into a hug. Nightwing rested his chin on my shoulder and held me close, as if he couldn't believe I was actually there.

We moved off the street and onto the Wayne Tech building where we had an unobstructed view of the city. Nightwing sat down on the edge of the building, his legs dangling over the heart-stopping drop, and I joined him.

"You're here to stay?" Nightwing finally asked.

"Until the Force wills otherwise," I said. "When I was back home, I had several visions. The Force showed me that there were people there that could fight the fires that arise there. In the meantime, I might as well kick it out here with you guys. Batman did offer me a spot on the Team, and I took it. So, there's that."

Nightwing nodded. I pulled my dual lightsaber from my belt and started twisting it apart and back together again.

"You also have school. I told the University you were dealing with some family issues this quarter, but you can go back in the spring," Nightwing offered. "And Bruce will still cover the bill, if you were wondering. Also, I took care of your house. The League went through Ned's belongings, we boxed up your stuff, and we put the house on the market. We can pull it if you want."

"Oh, no. Please, get rid of it," I said in a rush. "If it doesn't sell, I suggest burning it to the ground and then burning the ashes just to be sure."

We laughed for a minute, watching the cars down below.

"Don't worry. The room you were using at the Cave is still available until you need to be back in the dorms, and even then, you can still live at the Cave. It's up to you. I actually moved out of the dorms at the beginning of this quarter. It was hard to come and go discretely," Nightwing explained. "So, what happened to you, back in your galaxy?"

I thought about explaining everything right then and there, but I knew I would be telling the story over and over again, so I decided to stay my sanity.

"I'll explain it when I see the Team again so everyone is on the same page," I decided. "But it's quite the story."

"It better be. You've got a fancy new lightsaber and everything," Nightwing teased, gesturing to the dual-blade in my hand.

"Watch this."

I held the blade out and ignited both blades. The black one shot out to my left and the white one with the purple core stretched out to the right in front of Nightwing. He let out a low whistle and examined the laser sword.

"That's fancy," he said. "From what I understand, the blade colors are quite significant. What does this mean?"

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure. Every blade I have encountered have been pure, but I'm assuming the split colors reflects two sides of me that are the most prominent, which is a relief after the black blade debacle. Master Yoda says it reflects recent growth. Anyway, the white I've seen in Temple Guards before and usually signifies dedication to a larger cause, like the Jedi Order or fighting evil. The purple, as Master Windu explained it to me, is a balance between light and dark, a quality that can be quite tricky to master. But I'm aware of it, and awareness is the first step."

"From self-obsessed to dedication to a larger cause in a few short months," Nightwing mused. "That's quite a change."

"I learned from both Batman and Yoda. They're both remarkable teachers. Say, they'd be quite the powerhouse if they ever worked in tandem. That would be quite the experience."

I separated the halves of the lightsaber and collapsed the purple blade, passing it to Nightwing. He awkwardly held it in his hand, examining the ridging before lighting the blade. The longer he held it, the more sure he became until he switched off the blade and passed it back.

"Well, are you ready to see the Team?"

"Yeah. Might as well."

Nightwing nodded and jumped from the building. As he fell, he extended his arms, gliding downward, traveling the block. I got to my feet and sprinted along the roof of Wayne Tech past the white glowing sign, leaping from the edge of the building, freefalling to the roof of the next one.

I paralleled Nightwing down the street, leaping from the final rooftop when his feet hit the ground, landing rather hard on the pavement. Nightwing was watching, an amused expression on his face.

"It's going to take time to get used to that," he said, shaking his head. "Come on. The closest zeta is this way."

We walked down another block and cut into an alley where a worn photo booth was parked against a brick wall. Nightwing stepped forward, pulling the door open.

"How dramatic an entrance do you want?" he asked before stepping inside.

"On a scale of one to ten? Like, a solid eight, eight and a half," I decided.

"Alright. Once I'm through, step inside and wait. When things are ready on the other side, I'll activate it for you."

Nightwing tugged the door shut and smiled before activating the zeta tube. He disappeared in a white flash and I slid the door open, stepping inside. And I waited. And waited. Until the zeta tube kicked on and there was a mechanical whirr before the white light enveloped me.

When my vision cleared and I stepped forward, I was rewarded with a familiar view of the Cave. Nightwing had his back to me and before him was the Team in its full glory, and slightly banged up, waiting in anticipation.

"I'd like to introduce the latest member of the Team," Nightwing was saying.

When recognition kicked in, there was a mixture of responses. M'gann burst into tears, Superboy's jaw dropped, and Batgirl bounded forward to wrap me in a hug.

"You're back!" one of the boys shouted.

"When?" Barbara demanded, letting go so she could get a good look at me.

"Green Lantern and I just got back," I promised. "If we all want to sit down, I can fill in some of the details, answer a few questions, get everybody on the same page."

I was swarmed by the members of the Team, M'gann at the forefront, smushing me in her arms. I was pulled into a few more hugs and Superboy gave me a hearty slap on the back. They held off their questions until we were gathered around in the living room by the kitchen. Watching the Team squeeze onto the couches was very comical. Nightwing lingered in the background with Superboy and I stood in front, blocking the TV.

"Well, you guys know a little bit about my past, but just to put everyone on the same page, I'll start from the top. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Jedi Order was formed."

After a brief Jedi history lesson, I explained the Clone Wars and the things that had changed after, which Master Yoda had filled in for me. Then I described my journey through the portal, my brief stay on Coruscant followed by my jaunt across the galaxy, visiting isolated trading outposts, and then my time on Dagobah, the mission to Lorta, and my return home with Green Lantern.

It was a long hour while I rambled, and when my tale of events was complete, the questions started piling in. I answered as many as I could before Nightwing cut them off.

"Alright, let Chelsey breathe," he said. "We have training tomorrow at five. Now, hit the showers."

The group started to disassemble. Rocket headed toward the zeta tubes, Robin and Batgirl a few paces behind her. Lagoon Boy lingered to talk to Miss Martian while Superboy and Beast Boy headed for the hallway where the rooms were. Mal hung back, talking to Nightwing about something, Bumble Bee hanging on his arm.

I smiled, watching the Team go about their lives, knowing that I was part of something special, and it felt good.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Reminders

"I'm bored," I complained, flopping down on the couch. M'gann was in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cookies. Superboy sat on the chair nearby, watching the news. He looked over at me with raised eyebrows for a second before looking back at the TV.

I had been back on Earth for a week, and I'd quickly run out of things to do beyond training.

"I don't know how to help," M'gann said, cracking an egg on the rim of the bowl. With her mind. It was strange. "I have to get these cookies done before afternoon classes. And Connor should be writing an essay."

He grumbled and switched off the TV, getting to his feet and wandering out of the room.

"Sorry, Chelsey. Have you tried training? Weight room? Catching up on case files?"

I had done all of the above, especially the case files. I knew exactly what happened the day I left through the portal and what had been done to find Ned since, but there hadn't been so much as a sighting.

"Dick might be done with classes," she suggested.

I grumbled and sent him a text, wishing I had classes to deal with instead of boredom. There weren't even leads to track down related to Ned or buildings that needed to be surveilled because we literally had nothing on him.

"Oh, you're right!" I exclaimed when he messaged me back.

"Are you guys going to do something? Because if you wait seven minutes, there will be snickerdoodles."

"Fantastic. And there are no plans yet. But I want to do something normal. These past two months have been incredibly strange."

M'gann offered up a few ideas as the minutes ticked by. When the oven sounded, I was presented with a cookie that I snacked on.

"Scratch normal. I'm feeling impulsive," I said in a singsongy voice as I wiggled around on the couch to get in a better position. I looped my legs over the arm and stuffed a pillow behind my head as I reclined back.

"Oh boy," she muttered. "How impulsive?"

"I don't know. I'm feeling like a piercing or a tattoo or something."

I looked up at the ceiling, mind buzzing with possibilities. An idea formed and I scrambled up, scrounging for a scrap of paper and a pen. M'gann's homework was sitting on the coffee table and I tore a page out of her spiralbound notebook and picked up her pen, sketching out an old design that was quite meaningful back in my galaxy. A sword with a star above the hilt surrounded by two sweeping wings that formed a near-complete circle. The symbol of the Jedi Order.

"What's that?"

Dick's voice startled me slightly, but I brushed it off, looking over my shoulder. He was in a blue t-shirt with a black leather jacket and gray jeans, a pair of sunglasses balanced on the bridge of his nose.

"The tattoo you're going to take me to get," I said casually, holding out the design so he could get a better look.

"Is there a significance to it?" he asked, taking the paper and looking at it closely.

"That is the symbol of the Jedi Order. So yes, it is quite significant to me. I want to remember where I came from, the sacrifices my fellow Jedi made, and the trials I went through to get back to here."

"Alright. Did you have a place in mind? Because if not, I know a guy," Dick offered.

"I am at your mercy," I replied, standing up. "Just let me change and stuff as many snickerdoodles as I can into my pocket."

I took off down the hallway toward the rooms, ducking into my personal space. It was a cluttered mess of boxes and furniture I wasn't ready to give up. There was an organized chaos to the mess, but I really needed to do something about it. Just not quite yet.

Rifling through the boxes took a bit longer than I expected, but I found a white t-shirt and a comfortable maroon bomber jacket and swapped my sweats for ripped jeans. Lastly I slipped on a pair of heeled booties and started down the hall, stuffing my wallet and lightsaber into my pocket. You could never be too prepared.

As promised, there were snickerdoodles waiting when I returned to the kitchen. I snagged three before giving M'gann a sheepish grin and looking to Dick.

"Alright. Bludhaven, here we come."

"Bludhaven? Please tell me this place is legal and sterile."

"Oh, sure." He didn't sound entirely convincing, but I followed him toward the zeta tubes, calling a thank you over my shoulder to M'gann for the cookies.

Bludhaven was not a very cheery place. I'd gotten to know it over the past week while I ran patrols with Nightwing, Mal holding down the fort back at the Cave. To be here in the daylight wearing street clothes was bizarre, but it was also nice. This was the first time that I'd left the Cave to do something that wasn't mission or patrol-related since I'd been back on Earth.

"How were classes?" I asked as we joined the street, leaving the concealed zeta entrance behind us.

"Fine. And I'd much rather be curing your boredom that working on my essay for Lit, so that's a bonus."

"Oh, now I'm an excuse? That makes me feel much better," I teased.

We walked a few blocks in a comfortable silence before Dick directed me down a side street, stopping abruptly outside a store front. It was generic, with a sign above the door advertising both tattoo and piercing services, but it also looked outdated and, well, slightly sketchy--but then again, I always thought of tattoo parlors as sketchy.

After a glance at Dick, I pulled open the door and stepped inside. A bell above the door jingled and I surveyed the space, immediately locating the exit in the back under a flickering green sign. There was a desk at the front of the shop and a long hallway. The walls were plastered with photos and sketches.

"Hey, man!" someone called from the desk.

He was beefy with a gallery of artwork inked onto his skin. I could also tell he smoked a pack a day, but Dick walked right on over and they clasped hands and exchanged greetings.

"Nick, this is my friend, Chelsey. She was wondering if you could fit in an appointment. She has a design in mind," Dick explained, drawing me further into the shop.

"I have a few hours," he said, glancing at the wall clock. "What are we looking at?"

I showed him the design and explained that I wanted it on my wrist, just two or so inches in diameter. Nick considered the design before getting to work. He showed me into a back room and started prepping. While we waited, Dick and I talked.

"Are you settling in alright?" he asked me, leaning against the whitewashed wall even though there was a plastic chair available for him.

"I suppose. It's just been strange, especially not having classes. I feel like everyone else is constantly busy and then I'm there with nothing better to do but work out and sit around. Honestly, I'm feeling a bit useless. We need a lead or something. I'm shocked nothing was recovered from the house," I muttered, being as vague as possible.

"Speaking of the house, any interest?"

Funny he should ask. The agent had been in contact just yesterday about a potential offer. I didn't give a damn if it was ten thousand under the very fair asking price. I desperately wanted to be rid of that property and all the memories I associated with it. It was my final link to Ned now that he was at large again. And, in some ways, getting rid of the house was a way of fighting him, showing him that he didn't matter to me anymore.

"Waiting to hear back. Say," I said, thinking out loud, not entirely sure where I was going, "you don't suppose he'd be annoyed if I sold the house, do you? I mean, he's a very material person and he was quite sentimental about it. What if we put all his stuff back inside and did an estate sale, just to see if we could get a rise out of him?"

Dick shrugged.

"You knew him best. If you think there's a good chance it'll work, we can give it a go. We don't really have anything to lose."

"It was an idea. I'll think about it some more. I don't want to get my hopes up or anything," I explained.

Our conversation fizzled, only to be sparked again while Nick applied a stencil to my inner wrist.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked.

I looked at Dick, who looked at me, a slight frown on his face. After a quick half shrug, I took over, hoping he would chime in.

"Through Bruce Wayne." That was the simplest answer, after all. "I met Bruce through my father's line of work--he's into trading some pretty unique items and Bruce has such a wonderful collection. But we actually didn't meet until a few months ago, which is crazy since we've been at the same school for the past year."

"And what brings you to Bludhaven?" Nick asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't let Chelsey get a tattoo from just anyone!" Dick replied.

Nick smiled at that. We watched as he prepared his ink gun and then studied the design a final time.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Go for it."

I took a deep breath and focused my mind so I wouldn't feel the pain. It was quite an effective tactic, too, because all I felt at my wrist was a pleasant tingling sensation.

"What is this design? Did you draw it yourself?" Nick asked.

I glanced at Dick. We both knew that it would be visible, but I insisted it was on my wrist where I could easily see it. That, of course, led to some awkward lies, but people were bound to notice and ask question.

"You know that new vigilante that's been seen around Gotham and Bludhaven?" I asked as Dick stiffened and caught my eye with a strained look. "The one with the blue glowing sword?"

"Yeah. Jedi or something. Superman released a statement about her," Nick replied.

I nodded. That had been just a few days ago. At the end of a press conference, he released my name and explained that I was associated with the Justice League. That had been a proud day.

"Well, I have it on good authority from a buddy of mine at the Gotham University that works at the school paper that she has this symbol on her wrist. Dick and I are trying to start a fan club," I replied, my face completely straight. I was much better at selling the lie than Dick, who coughed loudly and shot me a look at the words, but I plowed on. "We're big fans of her work. She's just incredible, wouldn't you say, Dick? I mean, you're the one with the huge crush on her."

He just glared and I smothered a snicker. He was so easy to tease.

"You're over exaggerating that last part, but yes, she is pretty handy with that laser sword of hers."

"She hasn't been around that long. Where'd you suppose she came from?" Nick asked.

Dick looked at me and interjected, robbing me the chance to create my own origin story.

"We've been doing the research. All we know is that she was first spotted in Gotham with Nightwing--who was, of course, saving the day and mentoring her--although she didn't use her swords until later. Since then, she has primarily been spotted with Nightwing and her laser swords--if that what they even are--have only been seen on rare occasions. Usually, they're hanging on her belt. We'd thought she disappeared as well because there was a two or so month gap without a confirmed sighting, but she was in Gotham a week ago, blue laser sword swinging. And our newspaper buddy spotted her on a rooftop with a purple blade as well, so she's back in the running."

"We speculate she was injured during the hiatus," I chipped in helpfully, pleased with the tale Dick was weaving.

"I've seen a photo before. I don't recall the swords hanging from her belt," Nick commented.

Absently mindedly, my left hand patted the bulge in my jacket, just to be sure that my blade really was with me as we talked about it.

"The metal canisters? Those are her swords. There's a blue one and a purple one," Dick said.

We continued to talk Nick's ear off about Jedi, making up some fairly absurd things, but Nick bought ever word of it. He didn't strike me as the type of person that would turn around and pass the information along, but it was entertaining and helpful for the future because I was only going to become more prominent.

When we walked out of the tattoo parlor an hour later, I was very pleased. The black ink on my inner right wrist was perfect and the logo was spot-on. Now my history with the Jedi Order would be a permanent part of me wherever I went.

Dick and I walked back to the zeta tube, strategizing about Ned again.

"What if I made a public statement? If I announced a press conference, then he would definitely come out of the woodwork to take a shot at me himself. Or what if Batman and I did something very publicly with the press? There's no way he could resist that," I suggested.

"I'm curious about how the time machine works. Does Ned know exactly what's going to happen next? Because he could be too informed for us to catch him," Dick pointed out.

I pondered the question while we walked, rubbing around the red spot on my right wrist as I contemplated.

"I suppose the answer is yes, he could know. The thing is, I don't know how much he's changed. He used to only use the machine to gather weapons, and he always went very far into the future because he knew the weapons there would have the most intriguing technology. He worried about shorter jumps and causing paradoxes and such, but I think he could be over the tipping point and no longer care about the state of the timeline. I also don't know how much the Light plays into his actions. They could already know their future," I pointed out.

That final comment brought Dick to a sudden halt. I actually saw the color drain from his face and he seemed to age ten years as his eyes bulged. Dick was usually very put together and it took a lot to rattle him, I'd learned. This indicated to me that there was something big at stake.

"Dick?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He finally swore violently, burying his face in his hands.

"Dick, what's going on?" I asked with a little more urgency.

"I...I..." he tried, struggling to find the right words. It was incredibly painful to watch. "You can't tell anyone this, understand?"

He sounded like Batman, but I nodded.

"I've put Aqualad deep behind enemy lines to gather intel about the Light. If Ned knows the future...his life...Kaldur...what have I...?"

I looped my arm through Dick's and pulled him the remaining block and a half to the zeta beam. He was still in a dazed shock, so I activated his wrist computer and programmed the zeta beam to deposit us at the Batcave, where I guided him to the chair by the computer and tried to figure out what to do.

"Deep breaths," I said, rubbing his back gently. "Do you guys have any way of communicating?"

After a few moments, Dick looked up with very red eyes.

"I gave him strict orders to remain radio silent. We have a dead drop, but he's out at sea right now and..." He trailed off so I could draw my own conclusions.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do," I decided, plopping down beside Dick's chair and closing my eyes.

I'd never used the Force as a bridge before, but I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was worth a shot. As my body lifted upward and I embraced the Force, I allowed my mind to wander, but kept Kaldur's name at the forefront. I'd heard a lot about Aqualad during the past week and thought I hadn't met him in person, I felt that I knew him quite well.

My mind flitted from one subject to another and then it was as if I was underwater.

Deep blue ocean in every direction. Water shifting back and forth.

Something black was cutting through the sea ahead of me. It was a submarine of sorts.

A busy command room. A man with a strange black mask and a deep, mechanical voice.

The scene shifted, and I knew exactly who I was seeing.

A boy lay on a cot in a tinny room. The only decorations were a side table and a lamp. He stared up longingly at the ceiling, his eyes fluttering shut as he drifted off to sleep.

"Kaldur," I called out, my voice fuzzy and warbled, as if it was traveling through the ocean. "Kaldur!"

His eyes shot open and he lunged from the bed, drawing a strange weapon of sorts. In a way, it reminded me of a lightsaber as it activated, water forming a blade of sorts as he spun around the room, his eyes searching in vein for the source of my voice.

"Who's there?" he called, his hand clenching and unclenching the hilt of his sword.

"My name is Chelsey Engelmann and I bear a message from Dick Grayson. There is a chance that Ned Engelmann knows that you are still working with the Justice League and could expose your allegiances."

"How are you here? How are you speaking in my head?" Kaldur demanded.

"That's a long story that I don't have time to tell. Be careful."

I couldn't hold on any longer.

The image vanished and I tumbled to the floor in a heap. My limbs were heavy and sweat poured down my face and neck as I sucked in a huge gasp of air. I felt as if all my energy had been sapped from my system as I stared blankly at the rough wall of the Batcave, trying to center myself again.

"You were glowing," Dick observed. "That's new."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A whole blinding white aura as you floated," Dick said, motioning vaguely with his hands. "Did it work?"

"I think," I said, leaning flat on the metal grating that made up the platform while I tried to catch my breath fully. "I may have psyched him out a bit, but consider him warned."

"It won't be enough. We need to act quickly," Dick said.

"Yeah. We need to do something so incredibly insane that even if Ned knew from his trips to the future exactly what's going to happen next, he'll come anyway," I plotted. "I just don't know what that would be."

We lapsed into silence. I continued to lay on the floor, my body limp and exhausted from whatever feat I had just preformed. It was clear that my connection to the Force was stronger than before and I wondered if I was crossing into uncharted water, or if this was something each Force wielder had to learn on their own. Either way, I felt like a deflated balloon.

"Zatanna tracked Ned when he opened the portal. Is she able to sense when he opens another portal?" I asked.

"We believe so, but Klarion took Ned, the machine, and the gem, and in his hands, things are just different. Zatanna and Doctor Fate have been unsuccessful tracking Klarion's movements," Dick explained.

His face still looked a bit haunted, but there was a little more color to his cheeks and his posture seemed looser. I pondered what he was saying, the wheels in my head turning as I tried to determine what would tick Ned off the most, tick him off enough to confront me and maybe even try to kill me himself.

There was a mechanic whirr as the zeta tube activated, the computer reading out Batman's credentials. I turned my head to the side and watched from my spot on the floor as he stepped into the Batcave, brushing what looked like soot and maybe even some plant matter from his cape.

"What's the most over the top, outlandish thing that we can do that will guarantee, no matter what he knows about the future, Ned will come to us?" I asked without preamble. "All I can think of is revealing my identity, and there are a lot of problems with that idea."

Batman grunted, as if to say, "that's an understatement."

I thought a bit harder while Batman trudged up the steps, pushed the chair Dick was seated in aside, and started typing at the computer. He pulled an evidence bag out of somewhere and considered a segment of plant stalk that was inside. Clearly, he was working a case.

I rolled over so I could get a better look at what was inside. If I helped him with his problem, then Batman could help me with my problem.

"It looks like wild carrot," I said.

"That's what I thought, but it's hemlock," he replied. "The differences are small, but you can tell by the purple speckles on the stock."

Then something clicked. Whatever Batman had said was the spark to an idea.

I bolted up to my feet in two seconds flat, a wide-eyed look on my face as the idea continued to piece together in my head. Batman just glanced at me, an eyebrow raised, before returning to his computer analysis. Dick, however, was very intrigued and leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees as I tried to formulate the words.

"Ned is a very proud man," I started, gesturing widely at nothing in particular with my extended index fingers. "We just have to make him look like an idiot. So I propose we indulge in some theatrics. We'll get M'gann to pose as Ned and we'll very publicly arrest 'Ned' and we'll make it look good. At the scene, we say that we've been tracking him for a long time and he's made a series of dumb mistakes that made capturing him easy and release the time and date of a press conference where we will give more details. He'll be unable to resist showing up to call our bluff, and we're going to give him a golden opportunity."

I shared the final step to my plan and sat back, watching the Dynamic Duo. Dick seriously considered my proposal, weighing the pros and cons. Beside us, Batman had stopped typing as he thought the idea through as well. Finally, he nodded, consenting.

"Let's do it," Dick decided, standing up.

"I can do you one better than a press conference," Batman promised.

\----

I could have planned the entire operation with my tactical knowledge, but I let Dick and Batman each give some input. They knew Gotham best, and I would have been foolish to turn down the knowhow. We brought out the maps and, after Bruce changed into civvies, we marched into the dining room and spread out our materials. Alfred provided an endless supply of tea and biscuits as we poured over the massive maps and blueprints that had been compiled.

Bruce had offered up use of Wayne Enterprises, which gave us plenty of room to choreograph the ultimate public blunder, and boy were we thorough.

"This is good. This is solid," I said, grinning widely. "And we can pull it off tomorrow."

When both Nightwing and Batman nodded, agreeing. That just left the vital part: teaching the choreography.

Nightwing put out a message, recalling all Team operatives. I went back to the Cave ahead of time to change into my uniform and tuck both my sabers into my belt. Putting on my jacket and domino mask felt right. It was something I'd come to realize during the past week, and something I never wanted to give up. It was a way to honor the Jedi Order, to help it live on.

I rubbed the symbol on my wrist, the idea of embroidering the logo on the back of my jacket coming to mind as I swung open my door.

"Hey," Superboy called from his own door a little ways down the hall as he stepped out of his own room. "Any idea what this is about?"

"Yes. We're going to bring Ned in," I said, nodding.

It was a surefire plan. It was going to work. I was sure of it.

I refused to tell Superboy any details as we walked toward the hub where Nightwing had asked us to gather. Zatanna and Rocket were whispering together and stopped completely when we entered the space. M'gann and Garfield were just behind us and the zeta tube started glowing, emitting Wonder Girl and Bumble Bee.

"Let's see it!" M'gann called, stopping beside me.

I held up my wrist and twisted so she could see the symbol that marked my skin. It was still covered with plastic and quite red, but I was excited.

"Oh, Chelsey, it looks so good!" M'gann said, grasping my hand and forearm on either side of the tattoo so she could get a good look. "Are you happy with it?"

"Yeah. Really happy with it. Except Nightwing and I had to make up some stories to tell the tattoo artist. If anyone asks, we're starting a Jedi fan club," I joked.

Batgirl, who had zetad in, snickered. "Ooh, I bet he didn't like that."

"'course not, but we needed to tell the guy something," I insisted while Barbara inspected my tattoo and gave her seal of approval.

When the entire Team was assembled, I joined Nightwing at the front of the group, standing with my arms folded over my chest, a neutral expression my face. Inside, I was giddy. The plan was foolproof, but what if we'd missed something?

"Alright, Jedi and I have been brainstorming with Batman, and we're going to get Ned by laying a trap he cannot resist. Tomorrow, we're executing Phase One. M'gann, start working on your Ned impersonation, because you're going to playing our villain tomorrow. I raided the League warehouse and salvaged these," Nightwing said, dropping an open duffle bag on the ground. It was packed full of blasters. We'd talked about which weapon we should use, and ultimately selected something familiar because blasters were predictable for me. "Jedi here is going to be our leading lady, and she's going to do the bulk of the 'apprehending.' Here's what we're going to do."

Nightwing started organizing teams, laying out the game plan. Once everyone was on the same page, we turned the training room into Wayne Tech and ran through the choreography until it was tight.

"Just make sure it doesn't look too polished," Barbara reminded us as we wrapped for the night.

Tomorrow, in just eighteen hours or so, we were going to set the trap.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Springing the Trap

"Jedi, what's your status?" Mal's voice crackled through my earpiece.

"I'm down in the Gotham Underground on standby," I replied, taking a deep breath. I'd been placed in a disused service tunnel and couldn't help but pace back and forth as I awaited further news. No matter how many times I tried meditating, I couldn't quite empty my mind. "Waiting on your signal."

"Ten-four."

Adrenaline was coursing through my veins now, even though I hadn't caught a wink of sleep last night. After the plan was settled, I retreated to my quarters and sat down in the middle of the space. I'd spent the whole night meditating, hoping to glimpse the future, but the Force wasn't being cooperative. I'd gotten a flash of desert planet again and a glimpse of a rain-beaten spit of rock jutting out of the raging ocean, but those visions meant nothing to me.

When Nightwing knocked on my door in the morning, I'd nearly vomited, which was a new feeling. I'd never had performance anxiety before.

"Alpha?"

Mal's calm and collected voice snapped me back to the present.

"Ready and in position," M'gann replied.

She was in a nondescript white van approximately three blocks away from my current position with Zatanna and Nightwing. They were both disguised as "henchmen" and were integral for making things look good. There was a lot riding on their shoulders.

"Delta?"

"Bioship is cloaked and in position," Superboy said. Bumble Bee, Beast Boy, and Lagoon Boy were waiting with him and would be ready with backup once things were set in motion.

"Copy," Mal said.

I sucked in a breath. Here we go, I thought, although I awaited confirmation from Mal, our official timekeeper and shot-caller.

"Wayne Tech secure, Justice League in position," Batman said. I bet he was in his office at this very moment with a set of military grade binoculars, ready to watch the plan unfold outside his window while he sat back in his three piece suit and fancy leather loafers. We'd rounded up a handful of Leaguers to pose as security guards and bystanders to enhance our performance while ensuring no one got hurt. "On your mark."

"Phase One is go. I repeat, Phase One is go. Alpha, commence travel to Position One," Mal ordered, noting the exact time.

I began to pace more vigorously as I imagined Alpha peeling out of their parking spot on Truman Street, their sights set on Wayne Tech. It was a three minute and seven seconds drive (we'd clocked it three times this morning in different cars to ensure our timetable was airtight). The loading zone would be vacated exactly two minutes and fifty seconds after Mal's order by incognito Captain Atom, giving Alpha the perfect place to park.

I studied my watch, counting the seconds.

"Alpha in Position One, moving to Position Two," Nightwing reported. I heard a van door sliding before his feed cut out.

That had been at nearly exactly three minutes and seven seconds. Another fifteen seconds passed before I bolted into action, running down the tunnel.

This was the closest camera blind spots to Wayne Tech that wasn't active with trains. Now that the plan was in action, I had to risk the trains as I negotiated the subway tracks, heading for the stop closest to Wayne Tech. Each of my foot falls echoed off the tunnel with a sharp staccato burst, setting my teeth on edge. I couldn't hear much over that, which was unfortunate. I was in train territory now, although there wasn't another train scheduled for the next four minutes if the schedule was accurate.

The 16th Street stop came into view, the platform occupied by a few people. It was midafternoon, a little too late for the after school crowd, but slightly too early for rush hour.

Without breaking a stride, I jumped from the tracks, hands firmly planted on the bumpy yellow material that covered the edge of the subway stop, and rolled to my feet, seamlessly resuming my full-tilt sprint, which carried me up the escalator and onto the street.

The sky was overcast and almost pure white. Dirty snow littered the sidewalk and sludge formed puddles on the pavement. Most of the ice had melted, but it never hurt to be too safe. The last thing I needed to do right now was take a spill on my way to end Ned and his arm trading business once and for all.

The distinct sound of a blaster echoed between the buildings and my head whipped around, locating the noise. Wayne Tech was kitty corner to the underground stop, and I didn't hesitate to plunge blindly into traffic. A horn sounded and a car came skidding to a stop in the far lane, but I slid across the hood and leapt onto the sidewalk, closing the final few yards to the Wayne Tech property.

The building was in a distinct U shape, the near-perfect square cut out functioning as a little garden with a covered walkway leading to the main entrance. Here, a band of three thieves were confronting the two person security team.

Without a moment of hesitation, I drew my swords, igniting the blades in both hands. As planned, Ned and his henchmen turned to face me, blasters pointed directly at me.

I had to give M'gann props. Her Ned impersonation was incredibly convincing. So convincing, in fact, that it was scary. I couldn't dwell on that, though, because she began to open fire.

The blue blade in my right hand blurred as I twisted it, deflecting the blaster shot toward a tree that the Wayne Tech arborist was scheduled to remove next week. Maybe Bruce had ulterior motives for asking us to stage the big capture here.

As I deflected a few more blasts with controlled movements of my left blade, I collapsed the other blades and stuck the lightsaber in my belt so I could call in backup.

"This is Jedi, requesting backup at Wayne Tech. Ned Engelmann and two accomplices are attempting--"

My voice trailed off as I dove behind a planter for cover. A blaster shot slammed into the smooth cut marble on the other side, and I couldn't help but wince at the sound. Oops, I thought as I glanced at my watch. "Backup" would be arriving in three minutes and twenty-four seconds.

"Get back!" I called to the confused pedestrians that stood on the street. "Clear the sidewalk!"

That seemed to galvanize some of them into action. All, in fact, but a slim woman with a curtain of raven black hair that was frozen in position. Thank you, Wonder Woman.

I scrambled up into a crouch and ran toward her, pulling her down and shielding her body with my own.

I'm open firing, M'gann informed me through the mind link.

It was unnecessary, because the second she squeezed the trigger, I knew the exact path of the blaster. Partially because we ran this so many times yesterday, but also because the Force was crackling around me. When the blaster was about halfway between us, I jerked up and reached out my hand, freezing the streak of red light in the air. Wonder Woman screamed and ran for cover as I fought the trajectory of the shot, forcing it into the ground where it left a black mark and a ring of cracked pavement.

"That looked good!" Bruce reported from his vantage point far above as I fled for cover again.

Sweat beaded on my brow as I pressed myself against the cool marble of the raised planter, mentally preparing myself for the next step. Delta was about a minute out and I needed to seal the exits. The planters formed a barrier of sorts between the courtyard and the street, creating a bottleneck at the single entrance--the flight of stairs at the end of the covered breezeway. Sure, they could jump straight through the planting boxes, but the Gotham winter had made it a bit difficult for the gardening staff to keep the plants in check.

I scrambled up again, moving to stand on the three steps that bridged the sidewalk to Wayne Tech property. As I got in position, I saw the bioship swooping down over the street and a hatch opening on the underbelly. Superboy was out first, dropping fifty or so feet, landing on the sidewalk with a gnarly cracking noise. Bee and Beast Boy in bird form dropped out after, both flying. The ship lowered a bit further and Lagoon Boy completed our ranks.

"Three perps," I called. "Hold down the perimeter!"

And now for the final act.

I plunged into the courtyard, swords swinging as I deflected every blaster that made it my direction. My sights were set on Ned, who was in the center of the courtyard a few feet away from the covered walkway, angrily shouting at his henchmen. The blaster came up and multiple shots were headed my way.

They dissipated with a sweep of my arm and a blast of the Force.

Chels, you're glowing! someone shouted over the mind link that had been put in place as a safety precaution. Mal was too far away to be included, and linking too many people up got confusing and headachey, so M'gann had just looped in the Team and Batman.

Sure enough, a pale white-blue light was emanating of my body like an aura. My mind flashed back to the Temple on Lorta and the orb of glowing light that absorbed into my chest. This must have been what Nightwing had seen the other day. Somehow, all occurrences were linked to a powerful connection with the Force.

Keep going! I replied confidently, although I was terrified inside. Why was I glowing?

I stretched out my hand, focusing all my efforts on the blaster in Ned's hand.

It was ripped away with such force that when it slammed into my outstretched palm, the metal casing cracked and the flesh where it made contact stung. My eyes widened, but I had to stay the course. This was it. This was our chance. If I screwed it up now, we would never catch Ned.

"Come on, Ned," I called out, stepping closer. "You can't fight your way out of this one."

"You have no idea the magnitude of the arsenal in my possession! You are no match for me!"

"Really?" I asked skeptically. Perhaps we should have put as much time into the script as we did the choreography. "We both know you're at the end of your rope. It's time to face justice for everything you've done."

"You'll have to subdue me first."

Ned made a break for it, shooting to my right where the perimeter behind me was weakest. I watched, amused, and willed a Force blast to intercept his running figure. Without warning, his legs slammed into something solid and he pitched forward, getting a face full of cement. I walked over and hauled him up, pulling his hands behind his back and linking them together with a set of handcuffs from my jacket pocket.

"It's over now."

\----

"What's the status on Phase Two?" I asked Batman the second everyone was back in the Cave.

I had stopped glowing after Ned and his cronies were loaded into the bioship and we took off. M'gann, having reverted to her preferred form, had immediately started fawning over me, which only succeeded in riling me up. I shoved everyone else and reminded them what had happened in the Temple. After that, despite our success, we'd returned to the Cave in relative silence, and were graced with a visit from Batman.

"We'll wait for the news coverage to pick up, then I'll schedule the press conference," he said. "But don't worry. The League took care of passing the security footage we confiscated from Wayne Tech on to three local news junkets and four national stations as well. I suspect the events that occurred today will be the lead story on the five o'clock."

And suddenly, it was a waiting game again.

Admittedly, the security footage was phenomenal. The angles weren't perfect, but every action was caught from at least two sides.

There was, of course, plenty of speculation as to what Ned Engelmann, notorious temporal arms dealer, wanted from Wayne Tech as well as why the newest vigilantly to hit the scene suddenly glowed as well as waved around rainbow-colored swords. Some of the theories were downright insulting, but I needed the airtime for Phase Two.

"Come on, Chelsey, you need to stop obsessively watching the news," M'gann prompted two days after the takedown.

I'd been laying low incase Ned was a little more desperate than we'd anticipated, which had led to two very unproductive days of being glued to the TV. Nightwing had tried to cheer me up with a text from Nick about the Jedi fan club--not it wasn't a bad idea at all, given the amount of publicity I'd gotten over the past few days--but hadn't done much in the grand scheme of things.

"Nothing better to do," I grumbled, but I shut off the TV as a sign of good faith. Once she was out of the room, I could tune back in.

"Let's go into town."

"I don't want to risk it, even in a disguise. Ned knows things, M'gann, and I don't want to put anyone else in harms way," I fought stubbornly.

"Then why don't we bake something? Or watch an actual TV show? Or play a board game?"

I shook my head, rising to my feet. She had the best intentions, but I was not in the mood.

"I'm going to meditate," I decided.

She frowned but nodded, watching with a look of concern as I wandered down the hall back to my room. I didn't make it all the way, branching off at the trophy room and sinking down on the ground, legs crossed. This space seemed to be calling out to me, but when I closed my eyes, I wasn't sure why. My mind emptied and I embraced the Force.

I sat for hours, listening, watching, waiting, but I saw nothing. I felt nothing. I was, however, completely attuned to the space around me, and when the zeta tube activated and I recognized Batman's sullen presence, I lost control. My eyes snapped open and I plummeted, landing roughly on the ground. It was hard to overlook the glowing white light that started to fade as I scrambled to my feet.

I'd been glowing again.

Batman was still by the zeta tubes when I found him, conversing with Nightwing. Robin was with him, I noted with interest. While I'd seen Batman and Robin training, Robin wasn't officially part of the Team, but his presence here today indicated that things might be changing. Honestly, it was a welcome distraction.

"Hey, Jedi," Robin called.

"Hey," I mumbled back.

"You okay?" Nightwing asked.

"Oh, you know. I started glowing again when I tried to meditate." I paused, twisting my face into a contorted, confused expression. "That's always fun."

Batman gave me an unreadable look before turning back to the computer screen that he'd been looking at. After a moment, he finally addressed me.

"I've scheduled the press conference," he told me.

Phase Two.

"When?" I asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon, at the Hall of Justice. It's just going to be you and Superman, but the rest of us won't be far behind. Zatanna and Doctor Fate are working on creating a spell that will block all magic use once he arrives. Rocket has instructions as well, and the rest of the Team will be there to lend a hand and take care of crowd control. We're keeping this as controlled as possible," Batman assured me.

"But what about Klarion?" I asked, even though we'd make extensive preparations regarding the Lord of Chaos. He was till the wild card in this equation, and I'd never fully had him figured out.

"We'll do the best we can. But Ned is the one that knows how to operate the time machine. Once we have him in custody for good, we can address that problem."

I nodded, although I was a little disappointed. Capturing Ned was only the beginning. He was the stock of the plant, but he had a network of roots that he'd cultivated. It was going to take an extensive amount of manhours to dig up the entire plant.

"I have something for you," Batman said, nodding to Robin. He stooped down and picked up a nondescript duffle bag, which he tossed my direction. Curious, I tugged open the zipper and peered inside.

It was a black leather jacket, not unlike the one I currently owned. As I pulled it out of the bag, I realized what made it so special. The Jedi Order logo was embossed across the back and outlined with dark gray thread. The craftsmanship was incredible and the design was flawless.

I discarded the Gotham University pullover that I had been sporting and tugged the new jacket over my sports bra. It could use a little breaking in, but it fit perfectly, with just the right amount of give in the shoulders for lightsaber dueling.

"Wow, thank you," I told Batman, wishing there was a mirror so I could see how the logo looked across my back. I'd have to wait until later. "I'm absolutely blown away."

"Nightwing mentioned it. And since we're putting on a show tomorrow, I thought you could use a new costume," Batman said.

Batman had his moments, and this was definitely one of them. A moment when the cowl seemed to loosen up the slightest bit and the human beneath shone through.

\----

I hadn't spent much time with Superman before. Being in his presence felt awkward and overwhelming as we loitered in the entryway of the Hall of Justice. The press was gathering outside, and I could hear them talking.

"Ready?" Superman asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, taking a deep breath and tugging down on the sleeves of my new jacket. "I'm calling it in," I said, reaching up for my ear piece. "Phase Two is a go, repeat, Phase Two is a go."

Superman met my eyes and nodded before stepping forward and pushing open the doors. Out front, a mass of reporters was gathered at the base of the steps. A podium had been set out on one side of a series of stanchions and rope, and Superman settled down there, looking completely at ease. I followed hesitantly, stopping a few feet behind him to and to the right, crossing my arms behind my back and looking over top the crowd.

"Thank you," Superman was saying as the applause died down. "Today is such a special day as we honor a special person. The Justice League recognizes that this appointment may seem a bit rushed, but we've had our eye on Jedi for a while now, and she's finally agreed that it's time to become a member of the League so she can serve a greater cause. She has shown great dedication to the citizens of Gotham and Bludhaven, demonstrated am aptitude for serving and protecting, and offers a unique set of skills that will enhance the reach of the Justice League. It is with great honor that we invite Jedi to step forward and begin the process of Induction."

Superman turned toward me and I took a few steps forward, drawing level with him. As he began to read the Justice League creed, I listened to the conversations on the commlink.

"North perimeter clear," Nightwing reported.

"South perimeter clear," Batgirl echoed.

"East perimeter clear," Superboy added.

"Same with the west," Miss Martian confirmed.

Although I couldn't see them, there were twelve Team and League members hidden throughout the Hall of Justice property waiting. It was only a matter of time before Ned showed, we were convinced.

"Jedi, raise your right hand and repeat after me," Superman said.

I lifted my hand and repeated word for word.

"Congratulations, Jedi. You are now a--"

I felt the disturbance first. There was a tugging in the pit of my stomach milliseconds before the portal burst open directly above Superman and I. I had just enough time to draw my lightsaber, the agreed upon visual signal. Then all hell broke loose.

Ned jumped through the portal, landing between me and the Hall of Justice. He was armed with a blaster and some other sort of device and wore some sort of Kevlar body suit. And he was really pissed off. My body whipped around to track his movements, and by the time my bade was extended, the blaster was pointed directly at me.

"Hello, Ned," I said. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Shut up!"

"Or what?" I asked. "You're sort of surrounded."

On cue, backup arrived. Flash, Captain Marvel, Superboy, and a few other Leaguers started evacuating the bystanders and calming the screams. Doctor Fate was hovering above the Hall of Justice, glowing a bright yellow as he cast some sort of counter enchantment as Zatanna flung herself through the portal; she was tasked with retrieving the gem and destroying the machine before Klarion could get there. Once she was safely through, Rocket enveloped the portal with one of her stasis bubbles, blocking Ned's escape route.

"And outnumbered," I added.

"Bitch!" Ned shouted, pulling the trigger of the blaster.

Instincts took over and I deflected the blast into the side of the Hall of Justice before pulling the blaster toward me with the Force. Ned clung to it for dear life and his boots scraped against the concrete as the Force won, drawing him across the three or so meters that had separated us. Then he was within my grasp. I ripped the blaster from his hands and tossed it to Superman, who crushed the weapon with incredible ease, as if he was crumpling up a piece of paper. Miss Martian and Superboy closed in, subduing Ned between them, forcing him to the ground in front of me.

"It's over now."

\----

Gotham University during the spring was glorious. The planter boxes burst with color, the trees were full of leaves, and the cherry blossoms bloomed. The sky was no longer an ominous mass of gray clouds, but puffy white wisps broken up with slivers of bright blue.

I adjusted the strap of my backpack as I exited Waverly Hall, Beverly a pace behind me.

"That lecture was incredibly boring," she complained, glancing up and down the street. "I didn't understand a single word he said."

"That's because you didn't do the reading," I chastised, stepping into the crosswalk.

"I couldn't! My marketing campaign assignment is due tomorrow and no one in my group has done their part. I've got to run to the library. We're supposed to finish things up there today."

"Good luck!" I called as she broke away and headed down the sidewalk at a clipped pace.

I turned and headed toward the Student Union Building, where I promptly bumped into a familiar face.

"Hello, Dick," I said, joining the end of the coffee queue.

"Hey, Chelsey, how are you?"

"Tired. Late night last night."

That was an understatement. Nightwing, Miss Martian, and I had spent eight hours staking out an airstrip we believed to have ties to Ned's former weapons smuggling business. There hadn't been any movement whatsoever, and our only accomplishment was nearly freezing to death. And not getting any homework done.

"Same here."

Dick stepped up to the counter and ordered. He offered to pay for me as well, but I declined. Bruce Wayne was already paying for quite a bit in my life. I didn't need to add anything else to the list, even if it was just a single drink. I owed that man a lot.

I ordered, and once we'd claimed our paper cups, Dick and I stepped out of the Student Union Building and headed down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. Now that we were both commuters, Dick had to keep up the illusion that he was driving in from Wayne Manor each day and I rode the bus across town as often as I could, telling my friends I'd gotten an apartment over there near my new job, which was completely fictitious but a perfect cover for my work on the Team. We drew to a halt beside Dick's car and I scanned the parking lot for listening ears.

"Anything else about the weapons distribution network? Or the Light?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"No, nothing. Intel has been pretty slow, but we'll figure it out. The machine was destroyed, so the source of the weapons is gone. We've solved most of the problem."

"That may be so, but the Light has the power to start it up again."

"We stopped it once, we can stop it again. Bringing down Ned was the first step in taking down the Light. We proved to ourselves that we can do it, and we proved to them that their days are limited. Our friend on the inside saw the impact first hand."

During the fallout of Ned's capture, Dick had been in contact with Aqualad, who had been pleased to report we'd created mass chaos, confusion, and frustration in the ranks of the Light. We were nowhere near bringing them down, but we'd struck a heavy blow.

"Okay, that's valid," I conceded. "And I've been thinking. We need an approach they don't see coming, something they don't understand. We should capitalize on the information we can gain from the Jedi Holocron. Sure, a lot of it directly relates to my galaxy, but it can teach me about the Force, and that is a weapon the Light knows next to nothing about."

"I don't doubt Kaldur one bit, but if we have an edge, we should use it," Dick agreed. "Want a lift back to the Cave?"

I nodded and got in the car. We had work to do.


End file.
